By These Hands
by SithLord78
Summary: The Clone Wars have ravished the Galaxy for the better part of three years. Troubled by the toils of the war, Chancellor Palpatine has opted to retreat to Naboo, to contemplate the future state of the Galaxy. His future of the galaxy.
1. Chapter 1

Theed Hangar rumbled with the deafening roar of the Corellian freighter leaving its bay. Sio Bibble glanced into the opening maw of the chamber to see the engines of the _Millennium Falcon_ escaping Naboo's gravity. The cerulean glow of the primary engines speckled upon the night sky dotted with distant star systems. Queen Apailana positioned herself next to her aide; a worried look fleeting across her face. She was elected Queen of the Naboo just a few standard months ago, and already she felt she was embroiled into a war that was too soon. She had to serve her people. Would the information onboard that freighter help the cause of a rebellion, or allow her planet to be placed under strict Republic control?

Evidence was mounting in the rest of the galaxy of Chancellor Palpatine's infringements upon liberties. Her successor, Padmé Amidala had witnessed the intrusion of the Republic into the lives of the Coruscant citizenry. Padmé had entrusted Apailana with the safety of the Naboo and informed the Queen that other senators also feared the encroachment; Senator Organa from Alderaan, Senator Mothma from Chandrila among the notables. Apailana's heart sank. She feared the worse for her people, but also feared that if the information provided to Amidala was ever jeopardized the repercussions for the galaxy would be devastating.

"We can hope that those spies can make it to Senator Amidala on time, Governor."

"Senator Amidala has connections to the Jedi. The Jedi would find that holorecording useful. I hope that the information uncovered helps them understand who that Sith was on Naboo over a decade ago."

Queen Apailana retreated into the antechamber leading into the hangar bay. Sio Bibble heaved a long sigh as he made headway behind Apailana. Bibble's aging gait added to his burden. Could the information onboard the _Falcon_ reach Senator Amidala and the Jedi in time? Sio Bibble wasn't a Force-sensitive, however he hoped that the Force would guide the personnel onboard the freighter to Amidala safely. Could Amidala's contacts with the Jedi find the information useful? The Jedi have searched for the identity of the Master Sith that assigned the assassin to Naboo all those years ago who killed the Jedi Master, Qui-Gon Jinn. Perhaps this is the vital clue to the mystery the Jedi have been hunting for.

Sio Bibble continued into the hallway, making his way back toward the Queen's chambers. The young couple onboard the _Falcon_ had only been on the attention of the Naboo Royal House for a couple months. Young adults; recently graduated from their civil duties at the Naboo Academy, were about to undertake a responsibility greater than any; Jedi or military could ever perceive…


	2. Chapter 2

"The Chancellor, he's coming to Naboo?" Teek Epilani shouted.

"Why don't you just tell the whole damn Republic?" Rité proclaimed. The brash, fire-haired woman shot a questionable stare toward Teek. Rité had known Teek since childhood. Growing up in Theed together, the two had become close friends during their schooling years. Rité excelled in her subjects and was seen by many administrators as a future Senator to replace Amidala. Her forte was in the knowledge of droid functions and recordings. She had even heard stories of a young slave boy that had manufactured a protocol droid at the age of nine on the backwater world of Tatooine. Three years later, at the same age, she successfully completed an astromech droid; E3-T4.

E3-T4 erupted in chirps and whistles. The round-domed, red trimmed automaton resembled most astromech droids of Naboo design. The droid's head spun in a full rotation, chirping and lighting its primary lens eye in a fit of what some would consider laughter.

"Yeah, yeah, droid. Keep it up, one day you'll be plugged into a star fighter," Teek retorted. Teek's demeanor often times clashed with Rité's. While the two had been close friends, sometimes his actions disturbed Rité. Teek had grown wearier about the actions of the Republic with news coming out of Coruscant of tightened security and the danger that Senator Amidala faced daily. Teek waved a hand across a loose strand of raven hair brushing against his forehead.

"Never mind him, E3," Rité proclaimed; icing another stare into Teek with eyes as emerald as the Naboo jungles. Rité and Teek; two of the Naboo Academy's brightest students selected personally by Sio Bibble to employ under the new Queen; Teek had excellent skills as a marksman and hand to hand combat while Rité exhibited unparalleled skills in her expertise with droids and her astounding achievements in academics.

"…if I may continue?" Sio Bibble interrupted.

Teek and Rité regained their composure, seated in front of Sio Bibble and the Queen in the Naboo Royal Chamber. Queen Apailana sat motionless in her throne; the same throne where thirteen years ago Queen Amidala had been threatened by the Trade Federation's words of blockade. An elaborate headdress burdened upon her young skull, trinkets dangling with each pass of her glares. Captain Arpa stood by her side; a dark man wearing the traditional garments of Naboo Protectorate. Rité once imagined what sitting in this chamber was like when she was a child, listening to the stories of the young maidens elected to this position tugged her dreams. Her parents instead decided that her skills would work best in the Academy to work off world one day for the Republic, however during the Trade Federation blockade; her parents became a tragedy of that fateful event. An orphan of the government, she placed into the Naboo Academy at a very young age.

A flock of birds rattled by the window outside, the glorious city of Theed's architecture pierced into Rité's soul. Staying on her home world was more important to her than working for the Republic and never seeing this majestic city ever again.

"Chancellor Palpatine is coming to Naboo. His aides say that he has grown tired of the daily struggles on Coruscant and is taking a few standard weeks at his retreat. He has also heard of your accomplishments and would like to personally congratulate the top two students of the Academy," Sio Bibble continued, "Teek, the Chancellor is interested in a display of your skills with a blaster and Rité, and your droid expertise went unmatched at the Academy. The Republic may ask you to join, but we understand that the choice is yours to make."

"I couldn't leave this city, Governor," Rité responded.

"The things I hear about the Chancellor, I wouldn't want to leave Naboo," Teek chimed in.

"The Chancellor will be arriving tomorrow; you two are going to join the Queen and me as emissaries of his home world to welcome him. He looks forward to meeting the two of you. You shall stay here tonight in the palace. Adjourned. Arpa, see them to their rooms."

Sio Bibble seated himself next to Queen Apailana as Arpa escorted the pair and the droid out of the chambers. Apailana had a share of concern on her mind, "What if the Chancellor requires their assets more so than he feels than they are needed here?"

"Who are we to argue with the Chancellor, my lady? They could come in service very well here as our fleet of droids are aging and our security forces have grown weakened by the safety of security provided by the fact that the Chancellor is of our world. Who is to say that when this crisis of the Confederacy has abated, and Palpatine serves out his term, the next Chancellor would not be as sympathetic to our planet?"

"We would have to convince Chancellor Palpatine of that need. I trust your negotiating skills are ready?"

"Yes, my lady. Now, if you will excuse me, I must prepare our proposal in the affair about the trade agreement with Corellia. They seem interested in our plasma to be used in their new line of hyper drives. If all goes well, Naboo could be fueling hyper drives across the galaxy in a few years."

Sio Bibble rose, and removed himself from the Queen's chambers.

"I'm telling you Rité, I think something is suspicious about the Confederacy."

"What on Tatooine's twin suns do you mean?"

"I don't think the Confederacy is an enemy at all. This war was too sudden. I think the Chancellor has something to do with the Confederacy. Palpatine has been in office for too long, even before the Confederacy became an army. Is he serving his own agenda, and not for the well-being of the Republic?"

"Teek, have you inhaled ship exhaust? You better not let the Queen or worse, the Chancellor hear you speak like this."

Rité had shown some concern for her friend. They had hardly been apart since their youth and she had grown a slight attraction to him. There were many days where they had stood up for one another in their schooling when childhood bullies would torment them, such is youth. Teek's demeanor always got him in trouble; despite his excellent grades.

Rité continued to place her belongings in her assigned foot locker in her quarters. E3, resting on the opposite end of the room, by the bed, chirped a warbling whistle at Teek's direction.

"Listen to the droid; even he thinks you're delusional."

E3 chirped in agreement.

Teek gazed upon his friend with a combined sense of disdain and interest. She'd always struck him as fascinating, skills he could never learn to use. He reached his hand onto Rité's shoulder, rustling the khaki sleeve of her Academy uniform.

"You trust me though, don't you," he asked.

"Of course, but sometimes I don't know what to think."

She returned his gaze, staring back into his brown eyes; a curl of hair drooping back across his forehead. Rité and Teek had shared many such glances over the years. But they were now professionals, working for their planet. They were no longer children. They both graduated from the Academy a few short months ago and had already been placed into government service. Rité understood her life now; she wasn't so sure Teek knew his.

She reached in and kissed his cheek.

"Now, I think we should be getting to rest, we are meeting the Chancellor tomorrow, after all."

Teek retracted, and headed towards the doorway behind him.


	3. Chapter 3

Palpatine's _Theta_-class shuttle descended as a giant eagle, gracefully gliding onto the landing pad. Its engines whirred and whined as the landing gear ejected; its articulated wings rising into formation as if in a triple point. Teek had never seen any other design except the sleek, rounded designs of the Naboo star fighters. To him; this ship seemed bulky as if it were a throwback to a more uncivilized time; a time of war and a time of barbarism.

Naboo had been spared from the greater conflict surrounding the galaxy. Teek had never seen the horrors of the battlefield since the Holonet became censored; only used to relay vital military communications; confirming Teek's suspicions about the Chancellor. Sio Bibble stood by his two students, his cerulean robes whisking slightly in the crisp mountain air. Queen Apailana positioned forefront to the Governor. The regal crimson dress adorned her full figure, the horned headdress curved to the sides and down to her neck as a previous successor, Amidala had worn it once before during the invasion of Naboo.

With a whir and hiss, the loading ramp descended from the belly of the shuttle. Hydraulic mechanisms governed the speed of the door as Teek witnessed the Chancellor's entourage. A slight bump against the durasteel platform echoed into the mountains; an octet of crimson robed guards emptied onto the ground. Chancellor Palpatine exited his craft as the Royal Guards flanked a walkway for him. As he approached the foot of the ramp, Palpatine inhaled the crisp mountain airs while the wind stirred his salty hair.

Teek glanced into Palpatine's eyes. His steadfast attention became unnerving as the darkly-robed Chancellor scanned this greeting party. To him, Palpatine seemed an odd old man; a man of quiet demeanor yet scolded quickly if the temper was touched.

Sio Bibble and Queen Apailana steadied themselves as Palpatine approached. He lifted a hand to greet the Queen.

"We are humbled by your presence, Chancellor Palpatine."

"Queen Apailana, what a pleasure it is to be back home; away from the bustle of the war. A chance to reflect on my roots and the future of the galaxy," his crisp voice consoled her. His darting eyes caught the attention of Rité and Teek as he drew near them. Their Academy uniforms were as crisp and clean as the day they were acquired. Rité had scolded Teek earlier in the day to clean his uniform in the hydropresses supplied to them so that he may look respectable for the Chancellor.

"I suppose that you two are the fine students recently acquired from the Academy? I have heard all about your exploits."

Rité's hand was in Palpatine's firm grasp, and as a sign of respect, she bowed and placed a kiss on his aging grip. Palpatine formed a fatherly smile, "You must be Rité Jaderrie; a fine droid programmer and valedictorian of your class. Your skills would be very useful for the Greater Republic."

"Yes, sir," came the reply, her fiery hair whisking in the crispy breeze.

"I assure you, I am but a humble man, and there is no need for you to bow to me."

Her posture regained to a standing position.

"And you must be Teek Epilani; what a fine fighter you became. I suspect you will be training my security forces in no time."

"No disrespect, sir, but I'm hoping my strengths will come in handy here on Naboo first."

"Oh, of course," Palpatine was taken aback by his response. Surely such a bright young mind would rather serve the greater Republic; to fight the Confederacy led by the Sith. The Chancellor had presumed.

Palpatine returned another fatherly smile toward the boy before turning to more important matters, "Ah, Governor Bibble, come, there is much work to discuss here on Naboo. I understand you have prepared a formal dinner in my honor of my presence these next few weeks."

Palpatine strode slowly, placing a crinkled hand upon Bibble's shoulders, gesturing a warm smile. The aging man proceeded behind the young adults into a sliding door that led into the greater palace. His crimson Royal Guard followed into his Naboo home. Queen Apailana ensued, behind them; Rité, E3-T4, and Teek. Palpatine commissioned this construction shortly after his appointment to the Supreme Chancellor. High in the Naboo mountain plateaus overlooking the Naberrie family retreat rested this resemblance of off-world marvel. The citizens of Naboo rumored that Palpatine would retreat here, but never suspected as such.

Teek and Rité continued behind the entourage, marveled by the pristine tan marble and golden scones of light draping from the ceiling; their luminance bubbling on the floors. Banners of vermillion had been suspended along the walls as reflected in Palpatine's guards. Teek suspected Palpatine's choice of color, but had read in his early holobooks that the senator in his days had likened to the affect.

Natural light flushed into a new hallway as they entered, adorned by windows larger than those of the Naboo Royal Palace marked in the same grand design. E3 whistled a long tone, his droid sensors reflecting the intake of this grand structure. Palpatine strode into his home almost as guiding a tour. Teek could see that Governor Bibble and the Queen were discussing matters with the Chancellor and urged Rité to keep up.

"Teek, it's not our place to know what they are discussing. Palpatine is here to honor our achievements; we should not be disrespecting that."

"They could be discussing important matters that could have implications on Naboo, aren't you interested?"

"Teek, it's not my place and it is definitely not yours. It is best that we only know what we are told."

Sio Bibble approached the pair and the droid.

"Students, your articles will be delivered to you in a few hours; Palpatine has requested your presence in his Palace during his stay."

Sio Bibble and Apailana continued past the pair, moving into an elevator platform to a lower landing bay. Teek could see the Chancellor and his guard transgressing into another room of the Palace. In their place, a trio of clone troopers marched toward them.

"The Chancellor has asked us to escort you to your rooms; he hopes you find the stay satisfying." One of the clones stated in his template-style voice unwavering and monotone.

The troops moved into an elevator platform in the opposite direction that Palpatine had entered. Rité and Teek slightly behind them, while E3 spun around into the platform, his sensors caught a glimpse of Palpatine's chamber as the doors eerily bunged. E3 lingered for a moment, capturing the data he saw during the closing of the doors.

"What is wrong with your droid?" One of the troopers asked.

"Nothing, he is slightly marveled by this place it seems. He's been acting like this since we walked in here. E3, come on!" Rité commanded. E3's head revolved into the forward position, his middle leg extended back out as he leaned into his roll. Two crimson guards positioned themselves in rigged attention outside Palpatine's chambers.

Rité awed at the jewel-encrusted emerald dress laid out on her chamber's bed. The garment flowed as the plains of Naboo, surely the dinner event was more than just a meeting, but an extravagant gala but for what accord she wondered. E3 chirped as he scanned his surroundings. Rité's bed rested upon marble floors, a closet overlooking the room was built off to E3's right. Glimmers of light vibrated off the walls, dancing off of the dress as she grabbed it, and placed it in front of her. Certainly this room was built for dignitaries, Rité wondered if Teek had been given similar treatment.

E3 whispered, taking in the sudden deluge of sensory projections. He chirped again as the door opened; Sate Pestage strode into Rité's chambers.

"Greetings, I am Sate Pestage, advisor to the Supreme Chancellor, I hope I'm not interrupting anything ma'am?"

Sate Pestage was a stern man, an elegant man. He had served Palpatine before his election to Senate during his campaigns on Naboo. He had grown close to Palpatine, almost more of a friend, than an advisor. Rumors in the Republic stirred that perhaps he was the Chancellor's only, true friend in this age of increased securities. His lavender garments hid his features save his face and hands, of which he extended one to greet the fire-brand woman.

"No, you haven't interrupted," she returned the handshake.

"Wonderful, the Chancellor expects you and your friend to join us this evening. I have already been introduced to your friend, Teek. A brash young man, who has the interests of his home world in mind, his talents would serve the Republic. However, it is not my place to hold opinion on the matter."

A pair of clone troopers entered Rité's chambers carrying a locker box.

"Your belongings, ma'am," Sate announced, "I will leave you to prepare for this evening's gala."


	4. Chapter 4

Dignitaries representing Naboo and Corellia celebrated inside the grand ballroom of Palpatine's Naboo Palace. Palpatine appeared as a respectable man, his Chancellor robes of raven gray coincided with his evenly white hair. Governor Bibble and Apailana seated next to him, her royal outfit of white and gray tones contrasted that of the Chancellor. Behind him stood two of his red guards, ever attentive and ever menacing Teek thought to himself.

Teek spied his lavish, scarlet attire supplied to him when he entered his room. It made him look eerily respectable; however he remained steadfast that no matter what the Chancellor offered to him, he would remain on Naboo. If only Rité would follow suit, he thought.

A familiar finger tapped Teek on his shoulder, stunned; he rotated to see Rité in a dazzling jade dress that reminded him of the Naboo plains. Her firebrand head glazed with her jewel-like eyes capturing Teek with a sense of awe he'd never seen.

"Who are you?" He joked, forming a grin as he took her hand. E3 rolled in behind her, chirping as he recorded the event. Scanning the room, he noticed Representative Binks; his floppy ears made him more of a grotesque than a respectable senator. His clumsiness made others of Naboo groan and cringe, but he has served the needs of the Naboo well in the Republic despite his motion to create the new military. Boss Nass; his lumpy Gungan form heaved himself into a seat to the right of Senator Binks. Further on the table, E3 spied Palpatine's only female aide; the eerily pale Sly Moore and the twin-horned Chagrian, Mas Amedda, and the human, Sate Pestage.

Sly Moore glanced in the direction of the students, Teek returned the gaze with an uncanny emotion. They seated themselves across from Governor Bibble, while the representatives of Corellian Engineering Corporation joked and laughed with the man. Senator Shyla Merricope, acted on behalf of Corellia for this gala as Senator Bel Iblis attended other matters sat beside the board members.

"With all these dignitaries, who's minding the Republic," Teek whispered into Rité's ear.

A grin marked her face, "Well, at least it's not Senator Binks." Jar Jar lunged for a piece of fruit on his plate with his lengthy tongue. He gleamed over to see Rité was also watching him; in return a smirk that stretched his face welcomed her, along with a slight retraction of embarrassment.

"This seems to me like a room full of lobbyists and scandalous repositories for those credits," Teek whispered to Rité. Rité's elbow entered his rib as she gracefully returned to a smiling posture at Senator Binks.

Palpatine had commissioned this room to entertain dignitaries and special guests during his retreats on Naboo. A gigantic chandelier hung from the ceiling, glimmering onto the floor like a rain of light, which did nothing to enhance Sly Moore's ghastly appearance, Teek thought. The walls were adorned with statues of a non-Naboo origin. Teek had seen these types of statues in ancient legends that he studied in his spare time. Statues telling of ancient warriors adorned the sides of the room, a frieze displayed horrific events of an ancient battle on the wall behind the Chancellor.

Palpatine scraped the side of his drink with a piece of silverware to call attention to his speech, "Greetings representatives and guests, I would like to call attention to an important agreement that Naboo has made to Corellia that I am honored to announce. It would seem that after years of research, the natural energies that flow below the surface can be harnessed into hyperdrives. Garnor Viz, would you be honored to demonstrate please?"

"Of course, Chancellor," Garnor Viz, product specialist for Corellian Engineering Corporation, arose from his seat. Garnor Viz appeared as a rough man, a man who has seen his share of bad days. A small scar cracked on his left cheek, his hair appeared lighter in tone than Sly Moore's complexion. He raised a holo projector out of his cobalt coat pocket, and punched to activate it.

An image of an YT-1300 Corellian freighter appeared in front of the guests as the ceiling chandelier gradually dimmed to adjust to the display. The saucer-shaped craft, with its abnormally placed cockpit to the starboard side, rotated, displaying the main components as Garnor Viz presented his demonstration.

"Corellian Engineering Corporation has achieved a method of using the natural plasma stored within the surfaces of Naboo to work in combination with our freighters making them faster than most standard ships, albeit within the legal limits. Without any modifications to our standard product, this plasma can allow the hyperdrive to function at point seven past light speed making them our fastest craft ever.

"We have not yet begun production on a full line of ships to take advantage of this modification, but we have modified a couple of our existing stock to accommodate for this fuel boost. We present to the planet of Naboo, as a grand gesture of our appreciation for using their resources one of those ships, the _Millennium Falcon, _one of our older ships, modified out of retirement for this upgrade.Just one, five-hundred gram ball of Naboo plasma can power the hyperdrive for up to 20 years before natural decay."

Senator Binks looked on with a sense of confused curiosity.

"With the resources of the plasma, any governments or corporations can move their freight faster, and with more efficiency without ever having to replace expensive hyperdrive components for many years as the plasma degrades into harmless static inside the drive. The plasma can be used as a boost to any existing, aging fleets."

"I wonder who they bribed to believe that," Teek whispered to Rité. She elbowed him again slightly in his side. The projection ended as the lights came up. Palpatine and the representatives of Naboo congratulated the presentation and the gift. Viz replaced the projector back into his pocket, and straightened his tan pants before sitting next to Senator Merricope.

"To our next order of business, I would like to introduce the two finest students to have graduated from the Naboo Academy. My special guests here at this dinner: Teek Epilani; master marksman and officer; graduated top of his class with perfect scores, an achievement no Naboo has reached in recent years."

Teek stood up, waving at the guests as he straightened another loose curl that fell onto his forehead.

"And, the lovely Rité Jaderrie; never has Naboo seen a finer example of quality droid engineering and proficiency in academia; also too, graduating with perfect scores in the top of her class."

Rité arose from her seat and smiled at the dignitaries before issuing a curtsy. The pair placed themselves back into their seats. The party continued to revel in food and drink as well as friendship and security. Jar Jar provided much entertainment to Rité during the course of her meal. Never had she seen such comedic antics of an absurd creature. She had been around Gungans most of her life since the treaty of the two species after the Naboo blockade, but never seen any as clumsy. The meal ended without much fanfare as Palpatine and his aides had ushered the guests away toward the end of the evening.

Back in her room on the Palace grounds, Rité robed into her nighttime clothing; cerulean robes of simple stature noting her common caste. E3 began to chirp as her door opened, revealing Teek in a simple jumpsuit. Teek strode over to her bed to place at her side. E3 whistled again, this time jerking his body slightly.

"What is wrong, E3?" Rité asked. "He's been acting strangely since we got to this place. Honestly, Teek, it really does spook me."

E3 whirred and whistled some more.

"Come here E3, let me fix you. A motivator might be bad." Rité reached underneath her bed to remove her foot locker. She freed the latches, revealing a small set of droid tools. The fire-hair sank a bit as she leaned over to grab a small tool, and then motioned E3 over in front of her. E3 waddled to position. She began to work on a small plate on his dome, fidgeting with an electronic component at that moment E3 projected a static holoimage in front of the humans.

"What's this?" Teek queried.

"I don't know. E3, start from the beginning."

E3 started to play his holo image. The sharp blue silhouetted man placed a cowl over his head, flanked by the guards dressed similarly to those that accompany Palpatine. As the image progressed, a faint signature of a holo communication appeared in front of him, the faded appearance of a bearded, regal older man began to speak, though the words were indiscernible in this recording as the template-like voice of a clone trooper asked, _"What is wrong with your droid?"_ ended the playback.

"That couldn't have been Palpatine?" Rité asked.

"Hard to tell, but this palace sure is creepy. That man in the image almost looked like Count Dooku, the leader of the Separatists."

"But why would Palpatine talk to the Count? Surely he wouldn't be negotiating a peace treaty without the consent of the Senate and surely not without their company?"

"He wouldn't be talking peace, if he is conspiring with the Separatists to fake a war." Teek assured.

"If that is the case, we need to let the Senate know."

"We need to find out more information."

"How are we going to get close to him without him being suspicious?" Rité concerned.

"I wish I knew that one. I don't believe our presence here is a matter of recognition." Teek blazed a cringing look, a suspicious look.

"What do you mean, Teek?"

"I wish I understood it myself." Teek reassured her. He pecked his lips on her forehead and exited the room.

Rité let out a small sigh. If the Chancellor had been talking to Dooku; what are they discussing? Peace? Surely the Chancellor is not in league with the Count, she wondered. What if it wasn't the Chancellor but another person who assassinated Palpatine, while his guards were privy to the murder plot and had reported the progress to Dooku? Questions fluttered her mind, doubts circulated her emotions. The Chancellor has the best interests of the Republic; surely he could not betray the people.


	5. Chapter 5

_The plains of Naboo stirred with a howling wind. Theed loomed in the distance, while squadrons of V-Wing fighters poured into the skies. Garrisons of clone troopers descended upon the peaceful city of Theed in AT-RT and AT-TE walkers. Acclimator-class vessels landed upon Theed while LAAT transports moved higher level officers into the city. One of the LAAT transports contained the commander of this operation; a fire-brazened woman in her late 20s garbed in a bland gray uniform, trimmed of raven boots and gloves. Fires raged across the countryside, Theed Palace crumbled in a flurry of bombs and explosions. Citizens of Theed ran for safety only to be rounded up by the dozens of clone troopers casing the town._

_Rité Jaderrie's LAAT landed in the courtyard of Theed Palace. She disembarked the open door vessel as the craft lifted off. Another LAAT descended upon the ground; exiting Teek Epilani; a commanding officer of the clone trooper garrisons. His raven hair buckled in the artificial winds from the ascending LAAT. Fires engulfed their surroundings, while clone troopers saluted the pair; bringing forth Sio Bibble and Queen Apailana. The clone troopers shoved the prisoners to the ground…._

"GAAAHH!" Teek Epilani jerked from his sleep; his jumpsuit drenched in cold sweat. He wiped his brow with his blanket and placed his legs off his bed. Ohma-D'un's reflection from Naboo's star shone into the bedroom window lighting an abnormally ghastly chamber; giving an even more startling, unnatural glow to the room. He stumbled over to his wash basin, dipping his hands in the water to splash on his face. Liquid rushed onto his face, he repeated the process only to hear a voice from outside.

The template-like voice of a clone trooper echoed into his mind like a piercing vibroblade through the heart.

"Are you alright, sir?" The trooper outside his door asked.

No fear. It was only a dream. They would never show malice toward the innocents of the Republic. They serve the citizens of the Republic, in the same manner as the Chancellor…or do they serve only the Chancellor?

"I'm ok, just a bad dream." Teek responded.

He couldn't tell the clone the truth; after all, they show no emotion or compassion. As well, he couldn't just wander around the Chancellor's Palace back to Rité's quarters during the night lest he be questioned by the trooper garrison stationed here. He had to wait till morning to tell her of this dream.

Crisp morning air echoed into the courtyard of Palpatine's retreat on Naboo; the sun shown brightly as it made its journey across the morning sky. Soft fog rolled up from the lake over the horizon. From up here, Teek could see flocks of birds leaving the lakeside by the Naberrie family retreat, which from this vantage point seemed infinitesimal. Rité and E3 made their entrance into the courtyard, her Academy suit freshly pressed the night before.

"Look at this view, Teek. Isn't it just romantic, being able to overlook the lakeside and the Naboo plains?"

"I guess, if you're female," Teek joked.

An interruption to their conversation as a _Theta-_class shuttle roared away from the landing decks below them into the distance. Teek made his way to the edge of the courtyard; below him he could see the landing platforms and the lake immediately below that. How one makes it here without ships, he thought. But, he figured that was the whole point. Palpatine seemed a very private man.

The door leading to the courtyard slid open again, this time to reveal a raven protocol droid carrying a tray of food. The droid waddled his way over to the courtyard table to where Rité had made a seat. Teek looked around towards his friend and motioned in her direction. The protocol droid began to place plates of Naboo food onto the table; fruits, breads and other assortments. E3 chirped toward the protocol droid to attempt conversation. The serving droid replied in a masculine, binary dialect that E3 interpreted as a rude reply.

Teek took a seat across from Rité.

"I don't like this place anymore, Rité. I have a bad feeling about this."

"What could be wrong? We're the Chancellor's special guests for this week. We should be honored, "she soothed.

"I don't know… there's something, I can't place. Almost as if our stay here is scripted. We can't go anywhere without troops watching us."

"They're not with us, currently, are they?"

"Well, no," Teek stated.

"See."

The courtyard door slid open again, this time revealing Sate Pestage and his lavender attire. He made his way toward the couple with two clone troopers, trimmed in red.

Teek sighed, whispering, "I guess I spoke too soon."

"I'm afraid that the Chancellor has important matters to tend to the rest of the week, and he would only be scarce to visit you. He hopes that your stay here is quite lovely, a transport vessel has been arranged to take you back to Theed at the end of your tenure."

Sate Pestage spoke with a pleasant voice, almost calming. Teek returned the pleasantries with a nod and sipped from a glass of juice the droid placed at his seat. He felt uncomfortable in the Palace, and the plasteel chairs of the breakfast table only aided in his uneasiness. Rité ingested her provisions without concern. Mountain air wisped her hair into a slight movement. Sate Pestage shared a smile with the young couple as he removed himself from the courtyard. The pair of red-trimmed soldiers escorted, their armor clunking as they proceeded away.

"I had a dream, Rité; a dream I can not describe."

Rité ceased eating for a moment and glanced up at Teek.

"What do you mean," she asked calmly.

"I…I… I've never been scared from a nightmare my whole life. I also don't understand what it meant."

E3 blurted a whistle.

"Can you try to remember?"

Rité provided a calming voice, Teek would always comfort with her. Their youths were different spectrums. They fought their struggles and aided one another. After Rité's loss of her parents, Teek took to her as a sister. The pair entered Academy at the required age of twelve; studying in different courses all the while maintaining a special bond.

"I…I…I can't. I'm going to relieve my mind of these thoughts."

Teek rose from the table, continuing toward the courtyard entrance. Rité murmured to herself as her soft lips smirked a concern of puzzlement. She didn't pursue Teek; doors closing as he exited the courtyard. E3 whistled.

"E3, I wish I knew what bothered him."

Rité gazed across the open courtyard onto the lake horizon below as she finished her meal. Pristine hills of green sapphire rolled opposite the lake. Majestic birds soared in the distance, swooping into the water to catch prey. Chilly mountain air reinvigorated the woman's senses as a rush of lake scent echoed into her nostrils. Palpatine certainly understood the beauty of his home world by installing his retreat at this particular precipice.

The protocol droid returned for cleaning duties as Rité excused herself from her seat. E3 followed, chirping toward the protocol droid while returning the droid's previously rude behavior.

The training bag snapped with a thud, jerking violently away from Teek as his leg retracted from the placed kick. Two well-timed punches hammered into the sack, forcing the training device to retract again. Beads of sweat glittered off Teek's brow; his jumpsuit echoed a similar notion around his collar. Palpatine's retreat offered a quaint, yet sizable training room to anyone who desired to use it. Vibrostaffs set for low were lined upon the walls. Training sticks similar to those used by Jedi were mounted on an opposite wall. Teek wondered what Jedi training sticks might serve in the function of Palpatine's presence.

His exhausting workout began to wear him down. Pacing toward a work bench, he lied on the floor, rested his feet underneath the bench, locking onto the edge with his toes and began to pull his upper body to the bench. Repeating a few repetitions, he erected into place, grabbing a soft cloth resting on the edge of the bench to wipe his face.

Soft drizzle from the water spout lunged onto Teek's body as he stood in the cool liquid rinsing him. Teek finished his rinse, wiping down with a towel, and clothed into a clean jumpsuit from his supply locker.

Doors opened to reveal the raven-robed Chancellor enter the training facility.

"Young Teek," he began, "I hope I'm not interrupting your commitments?"

"No sir," Teek stumbled upon his words. "I was just finishing."

Palpatine seemed to float as his garments veiled his feet. The salty-topped leader glided around the room, seeming to intake the devices that had been installed. It was as if the Chancellor had never seen these items; yet, Teek realized, Palpatine would have personally commissioned the odd assortment of training gear. Palpatine reached for a Jedi training stick, but retracted as if to contemplate what it was for. He turned back to the lad.

"Such a committed example of a soldier, your services would be very well accepted into the Republic I would imagine. We could use such a skilled man in the ranks of the Republic, to command the armies of clones, or perhaps, for other more, secret assignments."

"I thought that's what the Jedi were for?"

"Ah, yes, the Jedi. There are only so many that we can send to battle. Non-Jedi commanders have recently begun to be used on less important skirmishes.

"Tell me, young Teek," Palpatine took a seat onto a workout bench, "I sense that you don't trust me, why is that?"

Palpatine formed his fingers into a tent, aiming toward the young soldier.

"I only have the interests of the Republic in mind," he continued, "Surely such a brilliant young mind can see that. Your friend seems to place her trust in me."

"I've heard stories, stories of liberties and freedoms being removed in the name of security."

Palpatine raised a finger as if to stop him, "What makes you think that it was my doing? This war was not my plan. Nothing was committed without the approval of the Senate. I believe it was your Naboo senator, Jar Jar Binks that authorized the Military Creation Act. I can only act within the confines of the Senate. I assure you, that once the war is over, these powers will be relinquished back to the people."

"And if the war doesn't end? What then? What if the Jedi and your troopers can not capture Dooku and his Separatists?"

"The Jedi are only so limited by their numbers. Surely, if you would like this war to end sooner, you can see where your assistance as an officer in the Republic is needed. In time, your service will be rewarded and you may return to Naboo.

"Young Teek, I have a vision of a New Order, a new Republic full of intelligent, willing and devoted men like yourself to oversee the duties of the Republic where the Senate votes on the matters at hand but authority is mandated and enforced by these regional governors.

"I also need eyes, ears and especially hands, Teek," Palpatine rose from his bench.

"The days of the Republic have come and gone in this state of perpetual war brought on by the rogue Jedi, Dooku. The Jedi can not be everywhere at once; I can not be everywhere at once. I need devoted followers to serve for the greater glory of the Republic; personnel that answer to a select few, so as to bypass the corruption in this democracy."

"This sounds closely to empire waging!" Teek could not believe his ears. Could his suspicions about Palpatine be true?

"Teek, understand that the Senate is not the body it once was. The Confederacy has infiltrated the Senate enough to shut down many of the measures proposed against it. The Quarrens from Mon Calamari, the Neimodians of the Trade Federation, they are all in league with this Jedi, Dooku. Many suspect this war was created by the Jedi to usurp the duties of the Senate and collapse our grand democracy.

"With dedicated men, we can end this betrayal of justice befallen upon our Republic."

"The intrusion and removal of freedoms, your unlimited checks and balances, all of this…"

Palpatine halted Teek, "A necessity of war, a war that came upon us when the Republic was unprepared. A war against the people, and if the rumors are true, a war waged by the Jedi. If the Jedi are the perpetrators of this war, I will need commanders to take their place so we can continue the search for their leader, Dooku."

"What would become of the Jedi?"

Palpatine paused, searching inside for a reasonable answer.

"Hard to say," Palpatine comforted, "They will be brought before the courts, disbanded perhaps, imprisoned. Then my hands will be placed upon more capable persons; men and women much like Rité and yourself to carry the duties of the Republic."

"I don't believe this! The Jedi couldn't pull this off! I believe in this Republic." Teek remarked.

"The Republic, as you know it, is dying," Palpatine moaned, "It is up to me to preserve it from this treachery. If the Jedi truly are the perpetrators of this war and in turn find out about this secret residency on Naboo, it is only a matter of time before they send their Separatist fleets to ravage this planet in a vain attempt to undermine and possibly assassinate the Chancellor. That I do not doubt. My life, your planet will be in danger."

Palpatine's words echoed through Teek's mind. Questions raced as he began to wonder if the Jedi were behind this war all along, but why he wondered. Palpatine smirked at the lad as he felt the boy's thoughts. He wanted to find out more, Palpatine had given him a taste of the demise of the Republic, but he wasn't certain.

"Your friend, Rité understands the Republic is a just and civilized rule of law. What would you have to serve if the Republic, if Naboo, or worse, she dies?" Palpatine's voice deepened, "The Senate does not see this corruption because they are accomplices to it. I am only one man, but I need help in preserving democracy."

"I don't know… Is there more?"

Palpatine's voice regained its pleasant composure.

"In due time, Teek, I will tell you more. But, I want to see your strengths. Your skills are superb, unmatched by anyone on Naboo. I'd like to see how they fair against one of my more experienced combat technicians. Come with me, I have arranged for a sparring match with another young cadet, much your age."

Palpatine escorted Teek into a hallway leading to another courtyard. Statues representing ancient warriors of a battle long ago adorned the hallway much in the same manner seen throughout the rest of the Palace. Palpatine glided across the floor in a steady gait, Teek by his side. A gateway opened into the courtyard where a couple pairs of men dressed in crimson jumpsuits sparred with sparring sticks. Teek recognized that these men must be part of Palpatine's security detachment, honing their combat skills. Another man approached the Chancellor carrying a vibroblade in each hand and addressing the ruler with a bow.

The man heaved one of the vibroblades toward Teek, the reverberations echoing through the courtyard like a podracer's engines through Beggar's Canyon. Teek caught the blade with his right hand as the combatant challenged him to a spar. Palpatine gave him a fatherly coax to challenge the man as the blades were non-lethal. Palpatine spied the early parries and lunges, a glimmer of smirk crossed his face. Two red-trimmed shock troopers entered the courtyard behind Palpatine. The Chancellor pivoted toward the guards motioning them in escort.


	6. Chapter 6

Darth Sidious postured upon a posh, circular meditation chair. Black garments rested against the crimson padding; small breaths rushed across his soul; a brooding, raven cowl covered face and head, folding his hands in his lap. Inside these private chambers echoes from wars, essences past wailed and moaned through the darkness. Recollections of pain and suffering pounded upon Sidious' soul, providing a gleeful smirk. Amethyst crystals glimmered on bronze pedestals marking strategic, sensitive places throughout the room. The crystals echoed and reverberated as if in sync with the Master's spirit. Darkness permeated the room like the blood from a fresh, slain animal to be cooked. A void of sorrow and despair eschewed without mercy over Sidious' being.

His thoughts raced across the galaxy; reaping the plague that his master had sown. Through the darkness, Sidious envisioned greatness. In time, the galaxy would become his toy; to build, reshape and conquer under a Sith Empire. Patience, he excelled in that attribute. It was patience that allowed him to kill Plagueis. It was patience that brought the Republic to war. And, soon, it would be patience that would eradicate the Jedi and the revenge of the Sith would be complete. For now, he meditated on plans and the ultimate fruition of his dream.

Sidious never needed to lift his hands for his bidding to become absolute. He only needed servants. Force-sensitivity was never a necessity, yet it helped. Others would do his bidding believing they were doing good will yet allowing a conspiracy to take fold. It was on this; Sidious meditated.

_Rité's fire-shorn hair grazed across Teek's bruised, right shoulder as she padded the left shoulder with cooling packs as careful as a mother's touch._

Purple pulses echoed slightly.

_Darth Tyranus, the regal Count Dooku, felt his tremors as the Master focused upon his Apprentice in mutual meditation._

Amethyst vibrations… Fleeting across the galaxy…

_Anakin Skywalker, the Hero with No Fear; sheared his cerulean lightsaber in battle against the Gen 'Dai hunter named Durge. _

Amethyst brightness steadied, illuminating the chambers.

_The brunette locks of Senator Padmé Amidala combed into place, a majestic dress flowing over her form as she received a plate of food from her goldenrod protocol droid. A look of concern always saddened her face whenever Sidious gazed upon her presence. _

The crystals dimmed to a slight beat.

Darth Sidious wriggled his mental tentacles across the galaxy. Senses flowed into his mind as a river flows across the plains. He pricked at each thought, poking and prodding across the galaxy to events that either happened by chance, or by will of the Force. Sidious allowed his focus to wane from the events of the Jedi generals, to the Naboo students residing upon the Chancellor's abode.

_You must begin by gaining power over yourself, then another, then a group, an order, a world, a species, a group of species…finally, the Galaxy itself._

The baritone words of his master, Plagueis echoed across his soul. The Clone Wars were Palpatine's doing yet the work of Plagueis' teachings infected the galaxy via the apprentice. Now Sidious was the master, besting his teacher in his weakest moment. Sidious endured. His cunning malfeasance proved his advantage in the ancient Rule of Two.

He would need an Executor, this much he knew. Maul was a weapon, a weapon of weakness bested by a Padawan learner. Tyranus, cunning and noble, a brilliant strategist however aged could never fulfill the legacy of the Sith. Plagueis taught the art of saving and creating life to his apprentice. Plagueis abided his time, training his apprentice to the perfect form; a servant not for him, but for the greater purpose of the Sith. A Sith to overcome and rule the galaxy for that was Plagueis' legacy.

Out of perfection, Sidious required a match. If he were to be the perfect Master, he would need a perfect Apprentice to fulfill the revenge of the Sith. But an Executor is only a single man of which he could not be everywhere. Sidious had concluded for his Empire, rogue mercenaries trained minimally in the ways of the Force, answerable only to him, would be needed to bribe and intimidate. Teek and Rité had been the ideal candidates.

Teek would need to be pried, bribed into submission. Rité was a willing accomplice. As Sidious regained his focus into the souls of the pair, the Force echoed an ecstatic joy as if the souls had become one; a unity that provided Sidious with a new purpose; a legacy of assassins to become his future "hands", to work the deeds that would need to be acted upon discreetly; of which the Executor's presence would be more high-profile and disadvantageous to secrecy.

_Crimson-colored light punctured Rité's backside, exiting through her stomach. A stunned shock echoed upon her face, her eyes filled with a single tear. The odor of scarred, cauterized flesh emanated as the acrid air of war. The light blade retracts from Rité's lifeless body slumping onto the ground. A single tear plops onto her face from another soul as the humming reverberations from the lightsaber pounded as it were the drums of death. _

Teek violently arose from his sleeping position, right hand grasping his forehead. E3 whistled softly from the corner. Rité, slightly startled, repositioned in her covers next to Teek. He clutched at his heart upon his bare chest as he slid from the bed, grabbing his jumpsuit on the table outcropping from the wall. Placing his jumpsuit upon his body, he worked his way toward the wash basin opposite the foot locker. Water splashed his face as he progressed toward removing the image of Rité dying at the hands of a Jedi.

If Palpatine's words were true, that the Jedi were meaning to usurp the Senate, then protection of the Senate, the Chancellor, and Rité was a priority. If the Chancellor surely trusted his abilities, he would need to trust the Chancellor. To protect the only woman he knew employing his services to the Chancellor became his only option.

Teek hurriedly dressed into his Academy attire, Rité stirred again, only to wake up from her slumber.

"What are you doing?" She asked eyes squinting as she managed to gather her sight.

"There's something I must do to honor the Republic."

"How do you mean?" Rité began to sit up clutching the sheets to her shoulders.

"I'm convinced that Palpatine means good. I've begun training to work for him, to aide him in eradicating the Jedi threat."

"But, didn't you once believe the Jedi were on the side of the Republic?"

"I once felt that way. Lately, I'm not convinced anymore," his words stammered out of his mouth as he envisioned his new future.

Teek pecked a kiss on her forehead and asked her to return to slumber. E3 chirped a low tone while the doors to Teek's bedroom slid open. Rité caught a glimpse of two clone troopers armored in red-trimmed plasteel while the gateway to the room slid shut. Rité formed a soft grin, her heart racing for a new calling as she heard a familiar voice call her name.

_In time, he will be tested…_

"Tell me, young Teek, what troubles you?"

Palpatine's words penetrated Teek's young mind as a laser blast to armor. Teek's overnight training drained his energies and his soul as he felt the Chancellor's presence piercing it as a claw to flesh. Sweat emptied onto his brow and soaked his jumpsuit as he positioned motionless on a paristeel chair amidst the Chancellor's private offices.

Palpatine's private office at his retreat was modeled similar to that back on Coruscant, however scaled to a smaller proportion. A holoviewing of a blonde-haired figure in Jedi robes flickered out from the wall a few feet behind the Chancellor's desk as Palpatine's chair rotated to face the young man.

"I… I've trained all night. I've decided that the Jedi are a threat, I want to be part of your New Order."

Palpatine's smirk became a grin.

"Your desire to become one of my operatives is quite impressive." Palpatine rose from his curved-back chair, his ebony robes flowed downward on his feet.

"My Jedi friend, Anakin Skywalker has advised me of the death of the Separatist bounty hunter Durge on Boz Pity. It would seem that the Jedi are resorting to criminals to further their Separatist goals. However, Teek, Anakin is a Jedi that we can trust. He appears to serve the interests of the Republic so as to not allow the Jedi to completely remove our liberties."

The Chancellor continued his way behind Teek, motioning to his Royal Guardsmen to vacate the room. The door hissed open, consuming the blood-robed guards into the hallway.

"There's something more, Teek. You don't need to hold anything back from me. Think of me, as an old friend."

Palpatine's voice recalled to Teek his times with his grandfather; reassuring and welcomed. He slumped in his chair, his mind racing to images of Rité, the visions of the war on Theed, and finally to himself. Teek ruffled his hand upon his dark hair, wiping perspiration. His body quivered, as did his mind and mysteriously he could sense Palpatine reaching into him, probing for some back thoughts that Teek could never even tell Rité.

"I've been having dreams, sir. Dreams of the Jedi murdering Rité, dreams of Sio Bibble and the Queen being captured…but, I was capturing them!"

"Ahh, they side with the Jedi, my friend," Palpatine's aging hands covered Teek's shoulders, patting them softly; "They are not to be trusted. The dreams of the Jedi killing your friend, I feel that the Jedi could be placing thoughts in your mind with their Force abilities. They can mind trick people into their beliefs, hence why they are dangerous."

"I hear that only Force-sensitives can feel others?" Teek asked, "If I have the Force, wouldn't I be dangerous?"

"Perhaps you do carry the ability to feel it, Teek. We can use that to our advantage. If you truly possess that ability, perhaps my trusted Jedi friend, Skywalker could help you in your mission as an operative."

"I support whatever you ask, sir if it helps save the Republic."

Palpatine returned to his chair, glaring at Teek as he answered him. He formed his fingers into a tent in front of his chest.

"Excellent, I shall see to it that your training begins immediately while you are here. Once I return to Coruscant, I will arrange for you to accompany me."

"Yes, your Excellency," Teek rose from his chair, bowing, as he turned to exit. Palpatine's chamber door hissed, revealing the crimson guards as Teek continued his way out. Palpatine's gaze followed the young man, accented by an accomplished grin.


	7. Chapter 7

The majestic freighter named _Millennium Falcon _rested graciously inside Theed hangar, a hangar truly worthy to house this royal workhorse. The pristine finish of its pallid duraalloy plating echoed with stately reflection among the luminescence of the Royal Theed Hangar. The awkwardly placed cockpit to the starboard side of the saucer-vessel echoed a design of an iconoclast to Naboo's graciously sleek golden fighters sharing space. The _Falcon_ was retooled and outfitted to accommodate for its upgraded fuel boosts. The craft itself, whose previous nomenclature has long been forgotten, was nearly decommissioned and scrapped until its previous owner sold it back to Corellian Engineering in a recall. As the first of a series of ships to be outfitted with the new plasma technology, Corellian Engineering renamed it to the _Millennium Falcon_ so as to boast of its new speed.

Sio Bibble toured his way around the vessel; beside him was Ric Olié, Naboo's veteran pilot of the Naboo blockade, dressed in his yellow-trimmed flight suit matching the goldenrod fighters within. A few hairs of gray grew atop Olié's scalp, however he never revealed his age as a factor in his piloting skills. As Commanding Officer of the Naboo Flight Corps, he was asked by Bibble to be the first pilot outside of Corellian Engineering to pilot this craft.

Garnor Viz accompanied the pair around the ship, providing a verbal tour of the craft. A crimson one-piece jacket and pants matching his prestige more as a salesman, than a businessman adorned the rough-faced man. The trio toured toward the loading ramp on the starboard side, entering the vessel's interior, as they entered, Viz continued his excursion.

"You'll find, Bibble that the Millennium Falcon should serve the people of Naboo as the fastest freighter in the galaxy. She is the first craft in our fleet to take advantage of the Naboo plasma to boost its hyperdrive."

The group continued toward the cockpit area.

"However, she does work fine with our tested modifications from the factory, but we would not advise any after-market upgrades to streamline her hyperdrive further since we can not rate the natural decay of the plasma with other modifications. Let's just say that should something happen, we can not be to blame."

"Rest assured, Viz, I don't think we will need to perform any modifications." Ric Olié replied as he seated himself into the pilot's chair. He gazed outside the circular window toward the exit of Theed Hangar, admiring the pristine landscape and cascading waterfalls in the distance. He gestured his hands over the control sticks and pedals, browsing each detailed button to study each function as he would a critical piece of machinery.

"I can't wait to take this bird into the skies," Olié proclaimed.

"I don't see why we can't," Viz announced. "I have time, and I hope you find her abilities to your needs, Captain Olié."

"With your permission, Governor?"

"Of course, Olié. I'm interested in Corellia's work myself."

Ric Olié spied over the console again, pressing the necessary controls to ignite her engines. The _Millennium Falcon_ arose from its rest in the hangar bay, gliding swiftly like her namesake towards the awaiting plains. Her landing gear retracted into the underbelly, engines igniting in a cerulean brilliance as the ship gallantly rushed into the skies.

The planet of Naboo rushed underneath the climbing vessel, atmosphere cleared as open space welcomed the craft into its open arms. The _Falcon_ twisted and jerked as Ric Olié pushed her to the limits. The freighter seemed to bounce across space like a rock skipping a lake.

"I'd like to take her to supra-light speed, Governor."

"Destination," Bibble asked.

"Tatooine, it's close and we should be able to return within a few hours."

"Permission granted."

Ric Olié punched a few coordinates into the navcomputer as the hyperdrive kicked in with a noticeable whine. A speed gauge on the cockpit panel counted up towards the breaking of light, continuing to point seven as the distant stars blurred into a bright essence of engulfing white.

"Viz, I do believe this craft is performing to expectations. How many more ships are using our plasma?" Sio Bibble inquired.

"A few production models, but only sold to those whose wallets can budge. The _Falcon_ is our gift for your generous fuel. We hope to outfit our entire production with this added fuel boost, but realize that it is a commodity and only offer it in a select line."

"Since the Corps is no longer necessary with the advent of the Republic Navy. We mostly keep our pilots for local defense or show performances around the galaxy since they are of a unique design. The _Falcon_ could be used to store the needs of the pilots." Olié offered.

"Of course, Olié, but you'll also find that the supplemental armament makes this craft unique among freighters. As you've seen, we have mounted a pair of dorsal and ventral quad cannons in the event that you encounter pirates during use, but of course, her speed makes her an extremely maneuverable craft, you shouldn't have to have any problems with pirates that way."

Klaxons warned the entry back into sublight space as the Falcon roared back into visible spectrum. The golden glow of the desert globe throbbed in the distance as another craft in the distance exited the gravitational pull of the orb.

"Well, that was quick, Viz." Olié exclaimed.

"Yes, the modifications made to her hyperdrive to accommodate the speed boost allow for not only a faster drive but the necessities to upgrade the navcomputer have allowed the craft to inadvertently find previously unknown hyperspace routes; almost as if the _Falcon_ is thinking for itself."

"How lovely, a navcomputer thinking on its own, and not using existing maps. I'm not so sure I can get used to it. I guess with more practice, it won't be too bad." Olié appeared to have his reservations about the new craft, but he was not in a position to object. Bibble welcomed the gift in exchange for trade. Olié realized that anything good for his planet would be beneficial to him as a citizen.

"Shall we return to Naboo, gentlemen?" Ric queried.

"Of course, we must see Garnor Viz back to his ship and finalize this deal."

Ric Olié piloted the _Falcon_ away from the approaching planet, and with a brilliance of white light, the _Falcon _entered hyperspace.


	8. Chapter 8

Cold death echoed through Teek's mind, his force pike aimed at the jugular of his adversary. The face matted of bruised skin matching his crimson jumpsuit. The beaten man stared up at Teek through blood-matted eyes as sweat graced across his face, fear rushing through his eyes. Panting pulsed into Teek's ears as his opponent appeared to beg.

Teek retracted his pike from the throat of his adversary. The cadet stretched a hand in Teek's direction, but instead continued down his hip toward his right boot where a small stiletto rested inside. With a quickness paralleled by a hyperspace jump, Teek shoved his pike into the skull of his opponent, bone crushing under the blunt strike.

Stammering to the floor, Teek collapsed onto his knees, his force pike ricocheting off the stone deck. Teek had never killed a man before, but it was either him or Teek. Teek preferred the other die instead. This was a test, a test to prove his loyalty for the Republic's New Order. He had trained all week for this test; never in his years at the Naboo Academy did he spar with a man ending in their fatality. Today, he murdered his first.

Beads of sweat eschewed down Teek's chest as two red-trimmed clone troopers dragged the corpse into a body bag.

Palpatine observed the ritual from behind a transparisteel frame. A gleam of confidence graced his smile as he clasped his hands together in joy. A door slid open, revealing the raven-clothed Chancellor approaching Teek.

"Well done, Teek." Palpatine chided with an heir of false confidence.

"But, Your Excellency, I've never killed a man before," Teek stuttered.

"It was either you, or him. You did the right choice. If you are to protect Rité as you have dreamt, you must be prepared to act as necessary, even if a man's life must be snuffed out."

"But he was not a Jedi, I can't kill a Jedi. I can't use the Force."

Palpatine aided Teek to his feet, placing a calming hand around his shoulders, his cold, aging hand gracing upon his arm.

"In time, young Teek, our Jedi friend, Anakin Skywalker can aid you in the Force." Palpatine's voice seemed comforting. The pair glided towards the doors as they hissed open.

"What if the Jedi start their uprising soon?"

"They won't, I can assure you of that. The Jedi are too interspersed right now. They would have to act on their own and by physical force to dissolve the Senate, the Commerce Guild and Trade Federation and other Separatists are plutocrats, no more harmful than the eopies that roam the Naboo plains.

"I promise you Teek, there is time. Come, though, there is more I must share with you."

Pristine hallways of marble and gold-plating encompassed the pair's movement toward Palpatine's personal chambers. Sconces of blazing blue and purple light vibrated their luminance across the polished walls, sending queasiness through Teek's soul. Palpatine's chambers approached too quickly for Teek to notice, a pair of Royal Guardsmen welcomed the couple into the private room.

As Palpatine pierced his halls, lanterns burned a light of amethyst flame. The floors echoed a stone's call, a different room than Teek had been to before. A circular chair focused as the centerpiece of the room, adorned with a crimson padding, lavender crystals upon pedestals around the room pulsed with energies, resonating with Palpatine's heartbeat. The Chancellor revolved toward Teek, fearful emotions encompassing the lad.

"You trust me now, don't you son?" Palpatine chided.

"If your New Order is just, and what you say is true. In order to protect the ones I love, and the Republic I respect, yes."

"Good." Palpatine drawled.

"There is one final test to prove your loyalty. To prove yourself as a Hand of the New Order, you must be able to convince others that the New Order is just."

"How may I serve you, Excellency?"

"Many in the Republic question my authority. They question the laws and decrees passed for the greater security of the Republic. As a Hand, you must convince others otherwise, or else they meet the fate of your adversary. There is a petition to end my rule, believing me to be a threat to the Republic. So far, a few hundred senators have signed this petition, of them, your traitorous Senator Padmé Amidala."

"You would like me to assassinate her?"

Palpatine seated himself upon the plush chair.

"She is in league with the Jedi, and plans to lead a rebellion against the Republic. The Chandrilan, Mon Mothma, and the Corellian Garm Bel Iblis as well as Alderaanian Bail Organa are also in league with her. They do not necessarily need to be murdered, however, only convinced. Any motion to question my resolve is to undermine the security of the Republic and aides our enemies.

"Rité believes in the security of the Republic, she understands the needs to keep the Republic glued together and any action against the Chancellor is an action against the Republic. Queen Apailana and Sio Bibble have yet to be convinced about the threat the Jedi pose. But, what if I told you that the Sith hold the answer to keeping the galaxy intact?"

"The Sith? But I've read that they oppose the Jedi!"

"Ah, yes. But what if I told you that the Sith have presented us with a method of victory? You see, Jedi and Sith follow the same outdated philosophy, but they are only both sides of the same faction. It is the Sith who are more in tune with the true nature of things, the true nature of government. The Jedi only wish to prevent the Republic from succeeding. They wish to unravel the very fabric that holds our values together. The Sith believe in a unified population, a population without question and without opposition, gluing the very fabric of civilization into an unobstructed, and unbreakable bond; a patriotic, nationalist life-style opposing any being or faction that would dissolve democracy.

"I know of a Sith who has the best interests in mind, a Sith by the name of Darth Sidious. He would prefer to be kept in the shadows, but reveals political secrets to me that have aided in keeping the integrity of the Republic."

"You're in league with the Sith?" Teek exclaimed.

"Now, Teek, this is part of your final test." Palpatine comforted.

"If the Sith have the best interests in mind, how would I convince the Governor?"

"Tell him, that I am Darth Sidious."

Palpatine removed a holorecording from his robes, and with a switch, a cerulean static flickered into clarity. A ghostly figure of the Sith Lord, Darth Sidious presented from the recorder, discussing plans for the New Order and the future containment of the Jedi. The figure faded away as the Chancellor glided toward Teek, placing the recorder into his palm.

"But first, you must convince Rité. Guards!"

A pair of red-trimmed clone troopers entered the room, their boots echoed upon the stone floors, flanking Teek. The faceless guards imposed a silent fear inside Teek's heart, their Mandalorian-style helmets with a darkened slit mouth and rounded eye plates harkened a day of warrior clans and mercenary law.

"HR 432, hand Teek your blaster."

The clone trooper on Teek's right answered the Chancellor's request.

"Now, shoot the guard, Teek."

A pulse of laser fire pierced the trooper's plasteel armor, scorching his chest. The guard collapsed onto the stone floor, his armor echoing a thud upon the stone.

"This is part of the illusion, Teek. Now, you and Rité must evacuate. Tell her that I am the Sith in control of the Senate. My guards will allow you to leave. Complete this test to bring this revealing information to Coruscant and your final test will be presented to you."

Teek's eyes surveyed the fallen clone trooper; his comrade had leaned down to lift him out of the room. The dragging echoes of durasteel plating against stone pounded through Teek's skull. If the Republic was truly in the hands of the Sith, he had to inform the Jedi, Palpatine could not be trusted.

"I will do your bidding, Your Excellency." Teek bowed, and exited the room, as another Homeworld Security clone trooper presented himself to the Chancellor.

"I do not trust him. Place a garrison in Theed and do not allow them to leave. Let them escape this compound. I must return to Coruscant to tend to important matters. Give them thirty minutes before you pursue them, do not kill them, they only need to believe they have escaped. They may leave Naboo when the cruiser in orbit requires your garrison back so you may return to Coruscant. Maintain the illusion that they are persons of interest while in Theed."

"_Your loyalty test will be soon…" _

The hiss of the sliding door interrupted Rité's thoughts as she sat upon her divan. Her emerald eyes glazed over her shoulders addressed by her fiery hair. Teek panted as he entered her bedroom, E3 chirped in puzzlement. Her khaki jumpsuit crinkled as she erected to stand, grabbing Teek as he struggled to gain his breath, her soothing touches graced his shoulders as he collapsed upon her chest.

"What's wrong, Teek?" She calmly inquired.

"I have vital information to present to the Republic. We have to make it to Theed so we can continue toward Coruscant. We must present this information to the Jedi!"

Teek's heavy panting weighed upon Rité's heart, beads of sweat stained upon her jumpsuit from Teek's forehead. She caressed his hair as she motioned him to an upright position.

"What information? What is it you want to tell me?"

"There's no time," he reached for the DC-15 blaster holstered to his sidearm, "I grabbed this from a dead clone trooper that I killed as I attempted to escape with this holorecording."

Teek eradicated the holorecorder from his shirt pocket. With a flick, the recording came to life revealing a blue static of the Sith Lord, Sidious reflecting against the white linens of Rité's comforts.

"This is who Palpatine really is, Rité. He is a Sith Lord! We must inform the Jedi! Pack your things, we must escape to the hangar bay and take a transport to Theed. We have no time; I don't know how much longer we have!"

E3 whistled and chirped as his two legs hobbled him toward the door. Rité rose from her bed, and grabbed her locker box from underneath. She hurried toward the upright locker on the opposite wall, and shoved her articles into her case.

"We only have one blaster?"

"It's the only one I have, it should hold off some troopers, but we can only hope to get out of here intact."

"Damn! There isn't much time, E3, let's roll!"

E3 extended his middle leg as he rolled out of the room. Rité and Teek followed, as Teek scanned the antechambers for any clone troopers. E3 glided over toward the elevator bay, extending a computer plug from his chest cavity into the open socket on the data panel. The socket gears cranked as the gateway hissed open. Rité rushed toward the open elevator, turning around she noticed two red-trimmed clones chasing after Teek.

"Teek!"

Blaster bolts ricocheted off the walls behind her, E3 calmly wheeled into the bay. Dropping to the floor, she clawed for the open door to struggle it open. Teek jumped into the elevator as the doors began to seal shut behind him. Floor numbers illuminated on the side panel of the cab as the descending ride continued toward the hangar bays.

"Did we lose them?" Rité inquired.

"We'll find out when we get to an open transport."

"We only need to give them the illusion of escape," a Homeworld trooper informed his inferior, "By orders of the Chancellor."

A pair of troopers remained steadfast at the doors of the elevator as the commanding officer spoke his orders into the commlink upon his wrist.

Rité soared across the hangar bay with the grace of a podracer, her feet fleeting her toward an Incom R-10 skyhopper craft. E3 rolled his way behind her, blaster fire skirting the ground beside his wheels. Teek returned fire at the oncoming troopers, knocking down a few with his marksman skills. Rité seated inside the cockpit, a cramped fit, designed to seat two. However, she could not see how two adults could rest comfortably, but there was no time for comfortable accommodations. Clones were not friendly right now.

E3 rolled up behind her, grav locks inside his feet magnetized him upon the durasteel floor. Teek rushed into the aft door, firing upon two more clones to the ground. Rité punched controls, causing the dual winged craft to rise from the hangar. R-10's appeared as bulky and grotesque, used primarily for short hops upon planets. The protruding cockpit formed a beak-like structure, and a new symbol appeared on the wings. The Republic symbol of eight spokes in a broader wheel formation had been replaced by a sigil of six spokes in a tighter wheel. The small engine nozzle mounted above the entry door provided enough lift to elevate the craft to low atmospheric flight.

As the R-10 escaped the hangar confines, the leading clone troopers fired to the flanks of the craft, narrowly avoiding the wing tips. Soaring with the clumsy grace of a mynock, the R-10 rushed toward the direction of Theed.

A hazy blue image of Chancellor Palpatine appeared upon the wrist of the commanding trooper.

"Chancellor, they are away."

"Excellent, relocate your garrison to Theed tonight. I have alerted Vice-Admiral Dodonna to maintain orbit over Naboo and not allow them to escape. You must maintain their illusion as persons of interest; you will receive your orders to leave when needed."

"Yes sir, I understand."

The commanding officer uttered a Mandalorian war call to his fellow troopers. Coded in ancient dialect, the language of the _Mando_ had been dictated toward the clones from the master template to preserve their intricate culture. The clones retreated away from the hangar; medic droids trickled into the bay to remove the carcasses of those that had deceased.


	9. Chapter 9

"That was almost too easy." Rité attempted to find solace in her thoughts as she removed herself from the skyhopper's landing ramp. The engines whined to a halt as her feet settled upon the stone courtyard of Theed Palace. Song birds whistled harmonious tunes amongst the trees while a group of Naboo guards rushed to welcome her, Teek and E3 as Sio Bibble hastily followed.

"But if this information is as vital as I feel, we can expect a garrison here shortly." Teek remarked. He brushed a lock of raven hair off his forehead, his other hand stammered to his pocket to guarantee he still possessed the holorecorder. Sio Bibble arrived toward the pair, his aging face appeared older than they last met him, and a streak of worry crossed his brow.

"It's a blessing that you escaped as you claim. We need to make haste inside, I have no doubt the Chancellor will send a force of clone troopers here to arrest you two."

"We have something to show you, Governor." Teek implied.

E3 rolled toward an entry door leading from the courtyard, Sio Bibble followed as Teek and Rité continued behind him with the guards following the rear. As the ensemble made their way toward the Queen's audience chambers, Teek could not help but wonder if he really felt he was betraying the Chancellor or if he was aiding the Republic to be his servant. Rité's life could be harmed if he betrayed Palpatine. The Jedi could kill her during their uprising if the Chancellor is correct. Teek could not let her be harmed if his compassion for her was true.

She returned a sea-shorn glance through her jade eyes piercing through her fiery hair like a podracer across the finish line. Her soft, rosy face shed a smooth, crimson smirk of concern. Teek could not let her be hurt; he had to trust the Chancellor. His service to the Republic required him to convince Sio Bibble and the Queen that a Sith was in control, in a way he believed it. Simultaneously, he wanted to doubt it. How the Jedi could not have seen this beforehand bothered him. Even he would admit he never had time to view the full recording; there was never enough time at Palpatine's retreat as he only possessed the recording less than an hour. That time wasn't allotted to him, questions continued to linger if his service was true or not.

The entourage approached their way into the Queen's audience chambers; Sio Bibble punched a key sequence into a datapad to allow entry. E3 wheeled his way into the room as Rité followed. Teek and Bibble exchanged glances as the guards worked their way into the chambers behind them. Queen Apailana sat upon her dais, garbed in ceremonial black attire, pale face paint marking her features with a dark purple gloss upon her lips.

The young queen appeared concerned, as much or more so than her predecessor during the Naboo Blockade, Amidala. Her dark marked eyes peeked up as the group seated themselves upon the round discussion layout. Teek to her right, Rité beside him, as Sio Bibble seated to her left. E3 chirped and whistled, rolling next to Rité. Teek fidgeted for the holorecording, Rité placed a hand upon his shoulder, calming him.

"I understand that your audience with me is of an urgent matter?" Apailana asked.

"Yes, your majesty. I have stolen information that I believe will help us understand who the Sith was that ordered the murder on Queen Amidala those many years ago." Teek removed the holorecorder from his jumpsuit.

"If your message is as important as you say it is, please play it." Bibble began.

Teek flipped a switch on the recorder. Blue static formed from the recording device in the image of Darth Sidious. His crinkly visage appeared from behind his dark hood, disguising his eyes in a shadow of eerie darkness as appeared in a static color as well as the device could display.

"Lord Tyranus," the recording began, "soon, the time of the New Order will arrive. The corruption in the Senate will end, and the galaxy will finally be at peace. The Sith shall rule once again, under a stricter principle brought about by a new, Galactic Empire. The Jedi along with any traitorous Senators and sympathizers shall find their politics limited if not exterminated entirely. The pieces are falling into place and soon the pawns will take the bait and the rule of two shall replace the rule of many. The Senate is unaware of their leader being a Sith, and in due time we will expose the web of lies they believe from the Jedi they trust. My time here in Naboo will be short to prepare for the final moves of this grand game. I will contact you once I arrive on Coruscant to begin the checkmate."

"Palpatine is the Sith Lord?" Sio Bibble clutched his chest in surprise.

Queen Apailana released a hefty sigh. She weighed this recording with a bit of concern. The Senate, the public had been duped all this time. The Sith were in control of the galaxy in the form of her native Senator now Chancellor, Palpatine. Who could have known this, and why wasn't it known sooner she wondered.

"We must get this recording to Senator Amidala; her Jedi friend Skywalker will be able to get this to the Jedi Council." She commanded.

"We must hurry. If Palpatine realizes you have possession of this information, he would certainly order a garrison here." Sio added.

"I command that we use the _Millennium Falcon_ to expedite their arrival to Coruscant."

"Yes, your majesty, I will notify Ric Olié at once." Sio Bibble erected himself from his plush confines and exited the audience chamber.

"I will arrange for your stay here, but we do not welcome a troop garrison full time in Theed. Should that become too burdensome, your exit from Theed will be of the utmost importance."

Queen Apailana appeared ill weighing the consequences of harboring fugitives from the Republic. Her feelings appeared to be for the good of the people. If this Sidious truly was Palpatine, perhaps she could prevent this planned Empire and be hailed as a progenitor to peace and justice. Information contained inside that holorecording would serve the Jedi well, and would be necessary to providing a solution to their mystery of the Sith. Heaviness weighed in her chest, searching for resolve.

Teek, Rité and her droid removed themselves from the room.

"Your majesty, I certainly hope that we can bring down this Sith before this New Order is erected." Teek comforted.

Doubts raced across his mind, causing an unsteady heaviness to his breathing patterns. His loyalty was to the Chancellor now, his doubts about his loyalty waned. Sio Bibble and Apailana accepted the baiting tactic to alert the Jedi. The pair glided into the hallway that was separated by ornate marble and stone pillars where years earlier Queen Amidala commanded a Naboo Security squadron to take back the Palace from the Trade Federation.

The star-set upon the windows colored the room in a dark orange flair, mottled by clouded skies in the distance. The echoing hum of LAAT transports cracked the subtle peace brought on by the star-set. Three LAATs arrived from the distance, two of them landed beside the skyhopper while the third circled the courtyard. Two red-trimmed Homeworld clones exited from one LAAT, while eight white-armored clones appeared from another.

Four white-armored clones exited left of the courtyard with one of the red-trims. The other five troopers remained in the courtyard as the red one barked orders.

"Sithspawn!" Teek cursed.

Rité rushed up to his side as the LAATs lifted from the courtyard, catching sight of one of the troopers entering the Naboo Palace. E3 whistled a surprise tone.

"The Chancellor must be on to us!" Rité stated.

"It would appear so."

Captain Arpa entered the hallway connecting to the Queen's audience room, wearing the typical uniform of the Naboo Security Forces; maroon cap, vest and boots with blue shirt and trousers to trim.

"Governor Bibble has ordered you two to a secure location; Captain Olié is preparing the _Falcon_ to leave in two days. We will attempt to divert the clone garrison here in the meantime. Come with me."

E3 rolled behind Teek and Rité as they followed the captain outside the hallway.

As the week progressed, Sio Bibble had been uneasy with the blank stares from the Mandalorian helmets of the clone garrison stationed inside the palace. Every motive was questioned, every action double-checked. Sio Bibble knew the real reason the clones stayed at the palace, however the official reason disclosed to the Holonet had been that a pre-security detail was required should the Chancellor request a personal, private visit to the Queen's estate while he remained on Naboo.

Ohma-D'un's reflections painted an eerie glow inside the hallways of Theed's ornate palace. Sio Bibble found the clone trooper's disregard of nighttime activity peculiar, allowing him to visit Teek and Rité in the secret room they had been assigned. As Sio Bibble approached their entry door, he scanned the hallway one last time in both directions to ensure no one had been watching him. The door quietly slid open as Rité greeted the governor, closing the door behind him.

"We need to make haste tonight. Ric Olié has prepped the _Falcon_ for exit and he feels we should leave soon."

"What of the garrison?" Teek questioned.

"It appears that they are not aware of our actions tonight." Sio Bibble replied with an amazed curiosity.

"Strange," Rité chimed in. E3 echoed her surprise.

"There's no time to guess what the clones are up to, if Bibble is correct, we must leave now. The information contained in this recording is of the utmost, diplomatic importance." Teek commanded.

"Here, put these on," Sio Bibble handed Teek and Rité a tattered tunic and trousers to place over their jumpsuits. Sio Bibble had also provided two Naboo blasters for the pair. Teek motioned it away, sporting the same DC-15 he grabbed from the dead trooper.

Teek brushed a lock of her red hair away from her left eye and pecked a kiss on Rité's forehead as he assisted her with the smuggler's garb. Sio Bibble hasted them outside into the foyer, to follow him to the hangar bay. E3 whistled and chirped behind them.

Ric Olié studied the Falcon's exterior hull for pre-flight inspection. Queen Apailana in contrast to her pilot, witnessed Olié performing his routine. Ric brushed his hands with an oily rag; and wiping what he couldn't onto his ragged smuggling clothes. The doorway leading to the hangar glided open, two Naboo guards aimed blasters at the oncoming personnel in hopes that the entrants were not clones.

"Blasters down," Bibble ordered.

Ric Olié approached Teek and Rité, "I am your pilot, Ric Olié. I'm here to fly the _Falcon_ to Coruscant for you."

"Thank you, Captain," Rité replied.

"We have a contingency for three weeks of supplies to accommodate for the week's jump, and possibly longer if necessary. If Corellian Engineering is as good as they say, we should be able to outrun that Star Destroyer in orbit."

"Star Destroyer? Here?" Teek proclaimed.

"It appears that whatever you are carrying has attracted some unwanted attention. I have uploaded new codes into the _Falcon's_ transponder, which should inform them that we are on our way to Corellia for repairs; to avoid suspicion, of course."

Teek made his way around the Falcon as Rité followed; admiring the unique design of the YT-1300 freighter. The luminescence of the hangar bays highlighted the forward mandibles and saucer shaped hull. An odd piece of machinery he found in which he'd never seen a design place the cockpit in such an awkward position on the starboard side. A stark contrast to the sleek, goldenrod fighters stored on the side mounts of the hangar.

"The weapons should suffice it seems," Teek admired the dorsal and ventral quad-cannons, "and Corellian Engineering proclaims this to get point seven past light speed?"

"I've tested it already, kid." Olié proclaimed.

"Surprisingly, no socket for an astromech." Teek joked.

E3 whistled a disgruntled tone; Rité shrugged an equally disagreeable huff.

"It's not a fighter." Olié reassured.

"I think we must leave, now." Rité grabbed Teek by his elbow, beckoning him onto the entry ramp on the starboard side. E3 wheeled his way into the gaping maw of the _Falcon's_ entry while Ric Olié pledged to the Queen a safe return. He arrived inside the _Falcon's_ cockpit as Teek and Rité began to strap into the rear seats. E3 remained inside the primary cargo hold.

"Have you ever left Naboo, kid?" Ric asked of Teek.

"No."

"Then don't evacuate your stomach on the console, ok?"

Ric Olié punched buttons on the flight console to command the _Falcon_ to lift off. The _Falcon's_ landing struts moaned and whined to a lifting position as the engines kicked on. The azure brilliance bounced off the marble cosmetics of the hangar, illuminating them in a crisp, enveloping glow. She gradually eased away from the Theed Hangar as the darkness of night welcomed the craft into open arms.


	10. Chapter 10

Naboo's green and blue essence appeared as a giant ball to Teek as he peered out of the _Falcon's_ cockpit windows. Uneasiness gurgled inside his abdomen as he covered his mouth exhaling a slight burp. Teek had never exited Naboo's gravity and appeared queasy trying to adjust to the artificial gravity generated by the _Falcon's_ onboard computers.

Klaxons blared inside the cockpit's controls alerting Ric Olié to danger ahead, "What's that?" Teek exclaimed.

No sooner than he yelled than the triangular presence of a _Victory_-class Star Destroyer loomed across the horizon. From afar, Teek could distinguish the ventral aft structure of the bridge and control towers.

"A Republic ship, why are the alarms going off?" Rité queried.

"The targeting computers detect hostiles, we're about to be attacked." Ric Olié pulled the control yoke into evasive maneuvers, the orb of Naboo rotated underneath the cockpit. A squadron of V-Wing fighters digitally appeared on the cockpit threat display.

"We've got company! Teek, Rité, can you man those quads?"

"Let's go, Teek!" The pair unbuckled their crash net harnesses and made their way behind the cockpit. In the primary cargo hold, Teek flew up the top ladder toward the ventral cannon while Rité manned the dorsal. Teek hurried to gain his senses into space as the freighter twisted and turned to evade the squad of fighters. The distinct outline of the V-wing fighter appeared upon Teek's targeting reticule. Letting loose a flurry of amber blaze, the V-wing erupted into flaming shards as Teek's blaster shock made contact.

"I got one!" Teek proclaimed.

"Great kid, don't get cocky!" Ric shouted as top became bottom again to Teek. Naboo's glowing essence appeared directly above Teek, then quickly back below as the _Falcon_ revolved and twisted to avoid her attackers. Teek revealed a few more blaster shots against the assailants as Rité proclaimed her own kill. Five more V-Wings continued to chase the freighter streaming blaster fire onto the craft, erupting in a pulsing blue ripple as they interacted with the shields.

"Only the fighters are attacking, I wonder what that Destroyer is doing," Olié stated over the comm.

"That's great, Captain, how soon till we can leave Naboo?" Rité questioned.

"I can't tell, this navcomputer is beginning to glitch out. This can't be right, the destination says Coruscant, but these aren't the proper coordinates."

Three more squads of fighters appeared on the threat display inside the cockpit.

"We're gonna have more company!" Olié proclaimed.

"Are these quads the only punch we have?" Teek worried.

"Appears so," Olié jerked the yoke to revolve the Falcon toward the oncoming Destroyer. Teek glanced out the rotund window of his cannon as the _Victory_-class ship, _Arbiter_ came closer.

"What the…? You're not actually going to assault that Destroyer are you?"

"No kid, I've got a surprise."

"Captain, if the coordinates don't point to Coruscant shouldn't we correct them first before we jump?" Rité shot down another V-Wing upon her question. Beads of sweat rushed down her face and neck.

"I've tried, we don't have time, and shields are already at thirty percent. If we take this beating much longer, we'll be dead weight. I'm shifting forward power to shields."

The _Falcon_ jerked into a sudden thrust, a white plume exited the exhaust panel consuming the full back arc of the saucer-shaped hull.

"What?" The distant stars became a sea of brilliant whitewash as Teek grasped his mouth, jerking slightly in his gunnery chair as the craft entered hyperspace. Teek stammered to descend the ladder, clasping his mouth emptying his stomach contents onto the deck of the cargo hold. Rité ascended from her position and started to pat his back to aide his condition. Ric Olié entered the main cargo hold, a look of disappointment grimaced his face watching the lad clutch his stomach.

"Better here than in the cockpit I guess."

"Motion sickness I guess from the shifting perspectives of your hot-dogging." Rité assisted Teek into the circular couch across from an instrument panel. A square table provided temporary comfort to Teek's head until he could regain composure to enter the medical hold.

"Well, it appears those damn clones sabotaged the navcomputer's coordinates to deter us from Coruscant to Dagobah according to the astrogation charts. We should be arriving to Dagobah in a few hours. From there, I can send a distress call to Corellia for assistance in reprogramming the navcomputer. The clones even protected the access with a security protocol."

"How long before a Corellian transport gets there?"

"Probably a month or two," Ric positioned himself at the instrument panel across from Rité and opened a map showing the galaxy. Dagobah highlighted on one segment while Corellia appeared on the opposite diameter close to the Core.

"May I see this recording that is causing so much trouble?" Ric requested.

Teek removed the recorder from his pocket and played the data. After watching the video, Ric heaved a sigh upon his crinkled face. Olié was a commissioned pilot, serving Naboo in the Blockade days and had even been aware of the Sith Lord, Darth Maul whom murdered the Jedi, Qui-Gon Jinn. Under the revelation now that Palpatine was the Master Sith, his aging heart weighed heavy.

"It makes sense now. Should the information be revealed to the Senate and the Jedi Council, Palpatine's position will be questioned. I apologize that the Queen and Sio Bibble did not brief me earlier, only claiming diplomatic urgency that I pilot you two and your droid to Coruscant. However, once we land on Dagobah, we only have rations for a few weeks."

"Is there any life on this planet?"

"According to this, Rité, not much. The galactic charts don't have much information on this place. Appears to be swampy and no known recorded life. I doubt we'll find civilizations there, probably indigenous fauna. It's almost as if all Republic charts disregard this planet as anything of urgency since evolution did not progress here. Ever hunted for food?"

"Assuring," Teek groaned from his headrest. E3 chirped in agreement.

"We can hide out on Dagobah till I can send the distress signal. At least we're away from the Republic for some time."

Roaring from supralight field, the glowing penumbra of Dagobah gleamed in the distance. The _Falcon_ eased slowly into normal space, banking into Dagobah's gravity well for landing. Rité eyed the murky orb from the circular cockpit windows.

"Doesn't look like much," she sighed.

Atmosphere tugged at the hull of the freighter as alarms indicated unsteady turbulence of the planet's currents. Ric Olié flicked the forward navigational lights on to assist in visual navigation. Murky fog inhibited much of any human navigation, making the journey far more perilous. Teek could nearly smell the sulfurous residue of the planet penetrating into the _Falcon'_s hull, adding to his already queasy feelings from his first hyperspace journey.

Miasma cleared aside like a timid fleet of vulture droids revealing a landscape of harsh, knobbed trees reaching into the lower portions of atmosphere and endless murk on the floor of the forests. Ric scanned his forward clearing for any sign of a safe landing spot to accommodate the ship's size.

"That looks like a good spot," Rité pointed toward the port side of the hull. Olié engaged the retro thrusters to slow down the ship as she glided into a clearing barely the circumference of the Corellian vessel. The landing struts erected from her belly with a whine and hiss of hydraulic fluids as she settled down into a vibrant thud.

Olié unbuckled his safety harness and entered the entry way toward the cargo hold. He clutched a blaster from a panel next to the cargo bench. The landing ramp hissed open, swathing the cargo bay in sulfur and methane stench.

"At least it's breathable atmosphere, if you like the smell of regurgitated waste that is," he proclaimed toward the cockpit, "I'll explore the area around the ship, you two keep with your droid till I've setup a safety area."

The churn of rock and mud kicked up from Olié's boot as he settled onto the surface.

"Good, rock. At least she won't sink in a bog."

Surveying the surrounding encampment, a white spider scampered away in the distance, startled by the massive ship in its path. A leathery-winged bogwing flittered a few hundred meters over the landing site scouring the forest canopy above. Ric shuttered from amazement at the signs of life; some benign others malicious looking. Returning back into the ramp, Rité appeared inside the cargo hold, tending to her droid.

"I certainly hope we can get that navcomputer reprogrammed, I couldn't be more eager to leave this place. I suggest we don't leave the ship."

"How bad is it out there?"

Through his aging brow, Rité could interpret his facial response as a negative one.

"Then, what do we do," Teek asked approaching from the cockpit hold.

"I'll see if I can send that request call to Corellia."

Olié sauntered beside Teek headed for the cockpit. A wafting smell of sulfur brushed off Olié's flight suit into Teek's nostrils. A noticeable grunt and cringe struck Teek's squared facial tone as he began to cover his mouth for any further upheavals. Rité rushed over toward her friend to comfort him, guiding him toward the medical hold in the aft section of the port holds.

Ric Olié placed into the pilot's chair, switching switches and pushing buttons to activate the distress call. On the comm relay, he punched in the Holonet signature for Corellia.

"This is Ric Olié, Commander of the Naboo Royal Air Corps aboard the _Millennium Falcon_. Our navcomputer's astrogation charts have been tampered and reprogrammed. A failsafe protocol has been locked in preventing me from changing the navigation codes. I feel a hard reset of the computer will be necessary to reset the astrogation charts. Does anyone read?"

Olié communicated this signal onto the Holonet relays aimed for Corellia in the Core Worlds. If lucky, a response would arrive in the next few minutes. Four hours later, no peep was heard from the comm. He sent the signal again as daytime turned into dusk waning into the Dagobah night cycle. Nothing.

"Blast!" Olié scowled at the comm. Exiting the cockpit bay, the mud on his boots began to cake upon the durasteel floor trailing dried dirt onto the pasty, pristine deck. Teek and Rité had been talking inside the cargo bay, while playing a Naboo game of chance on the table. Olié sat opposite them by the instrument panel used earlier to display the readings of Dagobah.

"I can't get a response from Corellia, It's like we're dead in space. With the navcomputer shot, I can't guarantee a safe jump to any other system, should we risk running into a nebulae or worse, a sun. That'd end the trip real quick."

"Then, what can we do?" Teek raised an eyebrow, distracting from his metallic-edged cards.

"Well, can you reprogram a navcomputer, kid?"

"What about E3?"

E3 whistled in excitement.

"It's worth a shot I guess." Olié prided. He glanced down toward the humble automaton, it's robust rotunda swiveled toward the pilot as his visual socket bobbed up and down in agreement.

"I never programmed him to interact with ships." Rité protested, "I won't allow it!"

"Can't you change his programming?" Teek assured.

"It may damage his programming core." She claimed, her red hair pursing across her lips.

"Will it work?" Olié probed.

"I can try."

Rité excused herself from the cargo hold, proposing E3 to trail her. E3 rolled after her into the repair bay in the starboard aft section.

"Teek, you and I need to scout this area for possible food sources, lots of reptilian fauna, some dangerous looking. I don't know how long we'll be on this rock."

The _Falcon's_ landing ramp descended onto the ground again, Teek and Ric egressed.

"Sorry, E3, but we can't leave this rock yet."

Rité labored a hydrospanner inside E3's open dome, working to reprogram his core to communicate to ships. A strand of firebrand strayed down her cheek onto her shoulder, her ragged tunics bunching and crinkling as she worked her arms inside E3's head. Sparks burned as acrid electric stench permeated the cargo bay; gray fumes erupted from the small droid. E3 whistled a degrading whine as his ocular lens faded into void.

Rité struggled to purse a smile through her crimson lips. Dagobah is to be her home for awhile; there are more important happenings in the galaxy she told herself. Rité smattered grease from a nearby workbench onto her countenance and garments to simulate the tenure of labor disguising her otherwise feminine features. A door leading into the cargo hold opened to reveal Teek, smelling of the rank of the surrounding swamp. He spied the smoldering dome of the astromech droid as Rité sulked onto a bench nearby.

"What happened?" He approached her, wiping a tear from her grease-covered cheek.

"I tried to reprogram him, but his core erupted and wiped his memory." Rité sobbed. Teek embraced her upon his chest, knowing how much the droid meant to her. She welcomed the embrace with a clutch of his sleeve her crying continued.

"I'm sure we'll get off this planet, Rité."

"Does the Republic even know we're here?"

"Part of me wants to hope not."

Teek assisted her off her seat, continuing into the cargo bay. There, Ric had begun to ascend the landing ramp with cooked fauna. The sweet smell of broiled meat permeated into the _Falcon's_ bay as Ric placed a roasted carcass onto the table next to the wraparound bench.

"It tastes like duck," Ric assured its edibility, "I don't know what it is, but it tastes pretty good."

"Was it flying or crawling?" Teek pondered.

"Crawling, I think."

The trio began their feast, gouging into the body with veracity of a krayt dragon.

"What's wrong with her?" Ric asked between bites.

"The droid's memory got wiped."

"Strange. Well, looks like we're stuck here some time until Corellia responds."

"Any luck?"

"Doesn't appear so. I'll try the comm again after we eat. You two should get some rest."

The feast did little to comfort Teek's worry. Palpatine was his master now, and he had to persuade the Senate and the Jedi in a timely manner to complete his task. He had already completed one part of the task, but he urged to finalize the matter with Palpatine. His loyalty was to the New Order and he couldn't let Rité know this. Protecting her from the Jedi threat was his priority, and if he could only reach Padmé to warn her that allying with the Jedi would lead to her demise and that of the rest of the Republic.

Days turned to weeks, inching toward a month. Corellia hadn't even sent a faint response of acceptance and no Republic ships entered Sluis Sector space. The crew of the _Millennium Falcon_ could be considered dead as far as the galaxy was concerned. Teek had begun to grow accustomed to his surroundings, albeit in a disgusted acceptance. Each day he reminded himself of the importance of his mission. Palpatine must be satisfied.

Ric Olié turned a welder torch onto an open instrument panel on the port mandible to repair a lighting conduit. Teek aided by holding wires to be soldered. Carbon score smoke entered Teek's nostrils; awkward thoughts crossed his mind wondering if his fingers would soon be soldered to the wiring. A whining lizard disrupted Teek's thoughts as he traced his head over his shoulder to see Rité seated with her legs crossed on the moist bog.

"Hey kid, you wanna watch what you're doing?" Olié scolded.

"Wha? Oh, yeah, sorry." He returned his gaze onto the bonding work. A glaring essence emanated from the port mandible as the navigation lights shone into the dense jungle forest ahead.

_Clunk!_

A rock clamored against another behind Teek. Rité appeared motionless while a pair of rocks orbited around her head almost touched by an invisible force. Teek scrutinized the scene harder unknowing what Rité was doing, but suspecting the Force was at work.

"If I may be excused, Captain?"

"Sure, I can finish up here." Olié allowed.

Teek straddled equipment and contours to slide down the access hatch to the outer hull into the cargo hold. He erupted from the starboard loading ramp and strode over to Rité's settled form. Sensing his presence, Rité questioned his motives.

"What is it, Teek?" She asked, eyes sealed shut like a fresh welding mold. Teek had less than two meters approach when the question startled him.

"You're using the Force?" He queried, "But shouldn't you be at the Jedi Temple?"

The orbiting satellites eased onto the ground in an orderly fashion flanking Rité's knees. Emerald eyes appeared from the fiery hair as her thoughts exited the ethereal into the physical worlds. A sigh pushed a lock of hair violently from her face as she sulked toward the marsh.

"I didn't want to tell you."

Teek approached his friend, placing a palm upon her right shoulder. She brushed it away as he began to kneel beside her. She turned her head towards her companion, "Don't tell Ric, ok?"

"But, I don't understand. Why weren't you taken to the Temple when you were younger?"

"Palpatine's orders. Shortly after he became Chancellor, he decreed that no Jedi be taken from Naboo for fear of unneeded homeworld influence in the Council, to respect the neutrality of the Jedi."

Teek nodded his head in assured agreement, "Who's training you?"

"I can't say. Not even you. No offense. Please respect the confidentiality of the Jedi."

"I see."

"There's something more I have to tell you. The Force has guided me to another soul."

"Another soul? Here on Dagobah or elsewhere in the galaxy?"

Rité faced forward, releasing another sigh as a swamp creature bubbled and burped musty gas from the bog ahead of them.

"Here, on Dagobah."

"There's other life here that can help us?" Teek astonishingly asked.

"I'm afraid not," Rité lowered her head towards her stomach, "The other soul is inside me. Teek, you and I made another soul."

Teek's face flushed with shock. Blush escaped his cheeks as a slow grin replaced the redness.

"You mean, I'm going to be a father? This is great news. But, we need to leave Dagobah. We're not going to raise the child here."

Teek continued to question the news. His loyalty to Palpatine came into question. Not only must Rité be protected, but so must his unnamed child. Could he raise his child amongst an Empire or a democratic Republic? His loyalty was to the Republic believing the New Order was just. He recalled empires of the past as he read them in the academy. Rité leaned onto his shoulders, grasping across his chest for comfort. He couldn't raise his child in a society of scrutiny and pervasive surveillance.

"Rité, I must tell you something too. This recording is only a test; a test to prove my loyalty to Palpatine and his proposed New Order. He proposes an Empire and I'm inclined to believe the recording when he claims to be a Sith. The Galaxy ruled by the Sith, under a secure society of scrutinizing martial law. I can't live like that. I can't raise our child like that. The Republic must be saved and we need to urgently provide this recording to Senator Amidala and Binks in hopes of removing Palpatine from office. I'm sorry, dear. This must be done. Palpatine must be impeached since his loyalties are to the Sith, not the Republic."

"That's a noble cause, Teek. But if we arrive on Coruscant, the Republic will certainly arrest us knowing we have this information."

"I'm sure Captain Olié can alter the transponder codes to note that we are not from Naboo."

Teek leaned back onto the marsh, propping himself with his arms behind his body as Rité leaned her head onto his lap as a pillow. Gazing into Teek's thoughts with her physical and ethereal eyes, she sensed uncertainty in his inflection. A soft hand reached onto his face as she propped herself upright to kiss him.

_You must leave soon…_

Rité arose from her comforts; matted hair clumped from her slumber, as she glanced down towards Teek's resting body. She clasped a pair of tunics from the nearby bench placing them over her pastel form. Exiting her sleeping bay, she entered the cargo hold quietly as if the Force influenced her motions. Ric Olié rested onto the curved bench next to the instrument panel, snores erupting quickly and loudly. Rité swiftly glided into the cockpit foyer, glancing one last time towards the cargo hold, she rushed into the cockpit.

Her feminine figure formed into the pilot's seat with the grace of an Iegan. Punching buttons across the control panel, a display for the navcomputer presented itself prompting for the protocol override. She keyed in the password as the navcomputer login accessed her to the primary console. Planets scrolled across the screen as she made her way toward Coruscant. Entering a second override, the coordinates appeared upon the view. She corrected the coordinates to the proper entry; _zero, zero, zero_.

Dagobah's murky gasses disguised the single star to a small sliver of light gleaming into the forest canopy. What the canopy didn't cover, the fogs did. Ric prepared breakfast; another skinned reptilian animal carcass, his activities aided by the glow lamp rested next to him. Teek assisted with the meal by skinning another dead carcass to be stewed in the paristeel pot that currently roasted the repast. Flames crackled the reptilian stew ensuring any cultures living inside the otherworldly fauna would not be fatal.

Stench of salted meats permeated the contrasting Dagobah swamps into a sweet iconoclast aroma drenching the nostrils of the two cooks. Rité's flamboyant run from the Falcon interrupted the job the men undertook. A glimmer of glee encompassed her face as Teek arose to greet her.

"I think I've fixed the navcomputer. I cracked the override codes the clone garrison implanted to secure their sabotage." Rité concealed her lie well, knowing Teek would not question her statement.

Ric arose from his task, "That's great! Why couldn't you try two months ago?"

"You never asked. You requested the services of my droid, remember?" Her soft demeanor reminded.

"Point taken," his eyes condescended towards her face in an insulting manner. Of his years of service and experience with many young pilots and cadets he could only conclude that she lied. Rité returned his untrusting glare with an equally harsh stare as he carried the pot of stew back toward the Falcon, "We leave after breakfast." He scornfully continued.

A nest of bogwings fluttered in confusion from the echo-locations erupting from the _Millennium Falcon's_ massive engines raising the craft above the forest canopy. An adult dragonsnake found advantage as the fearsome serpent erected from the bog nearby to consume a few lower altitude creatures from the disorder. The deafening roar continued towards other creatures as white spiders and other odd variants scuttled about on the canopy floor, aware now the imposing ship has vacated their home. Dagobah's atmosphere parted like soup as a spoon would pierce it allowing the Falcon to exit the gravitational pull of the swamp planet.

"Let's hope this works," Olié noted, displaying subtle confidence with Rité's abilities as he gleamed into her eyes.

Distant stars erupted into hyperspace whitewash as the Sluis Sector became a distant, unnerving memory.


	11. Chapter 11

Scattered debris of thousands of fighter craft littered the orbital pull of the city-planet of Coruscant. Hulking hulls of both Confederacy and Republic capital ships and cruisers appeared as decrepit derelicts from an ancient war. Ric Olié piloted the _Falcon_ across the durasteel remnants of an obliterated Confederate frigate that sparked remaining electrical life from its exposed conduits drifting like an ominous ghost ship. Once stalwart ships died in the orbital planes as the Second Battle of Coruscant concluded.

A trio of droid tri-fighters rocked the _Millennium Falcon_ followed by a pair of Republic ARC-170 fighters locked in attack position. The quintuplet craft continued by the forward cockpit as the ARC 170s fired hues of amber and crimson laser fire into the hulls of the Confederate snub fighters. The Republic _Victory_-class Star Destroyer _Guarlara _loomed in the distance, presiding over the descending stern of the Confederate flagship, _Invisible Hand_ as the stern consumed into an atmospheric fire.

"Confederate ships, at the capital?" Teek shouted.

"Appears so, looks like we missed the bulk of the battle," Ric proclaimed, "Looks like we won," pointing to the collapsing debris of the _Invisible Hand_.

He glided the _Falcon_ through a tangled web of fighter slivers and floating clone pilots as the more intact Confederate craft begin to flee into hyperspace.

"I hope that we can deliver this message to Senator Amidala in time. That is if Palpatine has not declared outright martial law and Empire as a result of this battle."

"If that recording is as important as the Jedi will find it to be, for your sake, I hope you're right, Teek." Olié concluded.

A brief crackle interrupted over the comm.

"This is Republic flagship _Guarlara_ to approaching Jabiim freighter _Twilight Sliver_; do you have a security clearance for this sector?"

Ric Olié disguised the transponder signature shortly before take off from Dagobah to not alert the Republic craft of their true origin.

"We are on a diplomatic urgency to deliver a message to Senator Padmé Amidala of Naboo," Ric responded, "We don't need a security clearance. We seek diplomatic asylum from Jabiim into Naboo. We request an audience with Her Honor."

"You are of Separatist hostility, and we will open fire if you do not turn back!"

"They're not falling for it." Teek muttered from the co-pilot seat.

Rité, sitting behind Teek reached through the Force toward the _Guarlara_. She shut her senses to the surrounding environment focusing into the bodies of the ship inside the bridge reaching into the captain's mind. Warmth overcame Rité's body as her influence toiled on the commanding officer; her abilities were still maturing however she had a feel towards her teachings.

"You may enter Coruscanti airspace as needed, captain." The _Guarlara_ coaxed.

"Thank you. See, I told you they'd buy it." Ric Olié turned to the doubting Teek.

Rité opened a grin behind the pair as neither suspected her influence. The Falcon glided into the atmospheric pull of the city-planet rocking under the frictions induced by the massive forces of the air. Waves of plasma slinked across the Falcon's cockpit like strings of molten glass during descent. The massive, multi-layered city began to arrive into view amidst the artificial clouds and atmosphere. Exiting the friction pull, the Falcon drifted towards a mass of nimbus clouds. Precipitation bounced like quaint specks onto the cockpit windows giving the _Falcon_ a much-needed wash from the swampy contrast of Dagobah. The _Falcon_ descended further amongst the cityscape that appeared to Teek as spires of artificial stalagmites. The Coruscant skyline stretched for miles on end into infinity. The amber, ethereal glow of Coruscant's star bounced from the skyline as a river of golden lava.

Teek had never left Naboo, and to see the capital planet of the Republic left him in awe. This is where the Republic thrived, the heart of the galaxy. Rows of buildings as far as he could see overcame him as they glistened from the reflecting sun as the Falcon weaved around buildings to avoid collision. Streams of transports glided above and below the _Falcon's_ perspective in a furious attempt to reach their destinations.

Ahead, the gargantuan, bulbous rotunda of the Senate Building eclipsed the surrounding city. The building appeared as a giant mushroom sprouting from an ornately decorated Avenue of the Founders while hundreds of ships littered the skies around the architecture. A massive undertaking indeed, Teek thought. Four spires protruded from the edges of the building as communications relays. Diminutive workers sprawled across the docking bays on the outer edges of the rotunda that consumed the circumference.

A goldenrod transport craft appeared in front of the _Falcon_ faceted with a multitude of windows through which Teek could barely make out as the _Falcon_ was directed into a landing bay below this transport's destination. Rité focused her attention towards the landing bay ahead of them. Ric Olié, a master pilot glided the craft intently into the assigned bay. Rité's Force urges directed her toward the transport above them as the images of the two Jedi, Obi-Wan Kenobi and Anakin Skywalker fluttered her mind.

"They're here." She muttered.

"Who's here?" Teek replied, revolving toward Rité's pastel, freckled skin. Rité tried to conceal her thoughts from the others.

"Obi-Wan Kenobi and his pupil, Anakin Skywalker, they're on that transport above us."

"Are you sure?"

"Positive." Rité said nothing more, concealing the information.

"Anakin Skywalker? A Jedi knight? I remember when he was but an inquisitive young lad." Ric input, "My how time flies."

Ric eased the landing struts into place to steady the Falcon into a docking procedure. Worker droids scrambled to place a refueling hose into the Falcon's fueling port. Other droids scrambled around with welding tools and other materials to aid in any other necessary repairs. Outside the viewing canopy, Ric Olié had noticed an old friend. Wearing the drab grey of the non-clone officers of the Republic Navy and the rank insignia of a Commodore stood a rugged man of dark complexion, Captain Panaka stood a few hundred meters in front of the craft. The glimmer of finely polished, raven boots capped off his commanding presence as he quickly clamped into an attentive stance with his hands behind his back.

The Falcon's landing ramp whined to a thud on the durasteel bay. Ric Olié exited first, followed by Teek and Rité. The artificially created breezes whipped her fiery hair in a display of majestic flame. The winds had also traveled the repugnant odor of Dagobah's marsh from their soiled tunics across the contrasting decks. Other humans nearby had held their noses as the whiff of Dagobah penetrated them while other sentients of equally harsh worlds breathed in what appeared as a sweet smelling aroma. A mixture of reactions greeted the travelers as they approached Captain Panaka on the landing bay.

"Ric Olié I presume? Look at you, you old pilot." Panaka greeted with a sense of nostalgia.

"You are correct Panaka. When did you become part of the Republic Navy?"

"When I left Naboo shortly after the Clone Wars began."

The two embraced in a handshake followed by a single-arm hug. Panaka clasped the right shoulder of Olié's rugged tunics as the two continued to reflect upon their pasts.

"Senator Amidala has received your request for urgency from Governor Bibble, I presume there is something of necessity to give her?" Panaka questioned Teek.

"Yes Captain Panaka," Teek replied struggling to fit a raven lock back into place from his bouncing onto his forehead.

"I'm not a Captain in the Republic Navy," Panaka joked, "Shortly after my heroics at the Battle of Jabiim, the Chancellor promoted me to Commodore."

"Very well then, Commodore." Olié grinned.

"Come then, I will take you two to Amidala. Ric, if you would stay with the ship?"

"Certainly. There are some repairs I will need to address anyway."

Ric Olié returned toward the Falcon, crankily ordering two droids away from welding any conduits in repair. Panaka and the young pair entered a doorway leading into the greater Senate building. E3-T4's shell lay on a hover-platform escorted out by two worker droids; the dome still scarred by torched solder joints and frayed wires. Olié examined the metallic carcass, ordering the worker droids to leave the droid with him.

A fine piece of Naboo machinery should not have been corrupted from a simple reprogram, he felt. Examining the wreckage of the former droid, a solder joint appeared out of place. The programming core reeked of acrid electricity which Olié studied further.

"The memory wasn't wiped, he was purposely sabotaged. That blasted Hutt-slave didn't even try to alter his memory core, she purposely destroyed it!" Olié muttered. Wire spaghetti impeded his removal of the memory core for further examination.

"Could she have also changed the navcomputer codes? She purposely wanted us to go to Dagobah or another planet. But why?"

Ric wiped his wrinkled brow in confusion. A suspicion arose in his mind about Rité but he could not warn Teek for there was no time. His only hope resided that Panaka still acted as an agent of Amidala's for necessities concerning Naboo.


	12. Chapter 12

Ornate sculptures of ancient warriors adorned the walls of Palpatine's senatorial offices. A single desk a few meters wide positioned in front of a large, glass window overlooking the daily activities of Coruscant. A vacant chair presided over the pristine paristeel desk confined inside the crimson-draped room. A circular inset punched into the floor marked by a rounded staircase leading into a small table. In front of the desk were installed a pair of audience chairs for the Chancellor's guests.

Commodore Panaka removed himself from the Chancellor's offices as Teek chased behind him, the door sealing in front of him.

"Wait! This isn't Senator Amidala's offices!" Teek began to question his task. The urgency of his delivery to Senator Amidala was now undermined. Palpatine had played him all along and now Rité would suffer with him. Two disloyal citizens of the Republic, one of which was tasked to betray his people for the greater glory of the Republic was now held captive in the offices of the one he devoted to serve. He questioned Palpatine's leadership, then was entrusted with a piece of vital information to trick the Senate into believing the Sith. Teek could not fulfill his duties to the Republic if he could not reach Amidala.

His stay on Dagobah taught him something new. Rité carried his child, and his urgency to the Republic could not be fulfilled. If Palpatine truly was a Sith, he had to inform the Jedi. He vowed to betray the Chancellor on Dagobah so that his family would not reside in a galaxy ruled by those who would wish to entangle it in a web of corruption.

"You're very astute, young Teek," a decrepit voice haunted from a dark recess of the Chancellor's offices, "I knew enough not to trust you with that recording, now return it to me."

The raven-robed menace approached into the office whose eyes were encompassed by an equally ebony cowl revealing only the jaw line. Teek recognized him to be Darth Sidious, the Sith Lord in the holorecording. Withdrawing his DC-15 blaster from under his tunics, he aimed at the Sith Lord.

"Your anger swells in you, Teek," Sidious lured, the DC-15 blaster jerked from Teek's hands onto the floor beside the desk. Sidious' right hand regained its original posture clasped in front of him.

Teek's eyes gaped wide, scanning toward Sidious ominous presence, toward Rité who firmly postured in the middle of the room, motionless. Teek lunged in her direction, grasping her hard by her forearm, "Rité, we must leave. Palpatine is a Sith Lord, we need to leave now!"

Rité returned a soft, icy glare with her jade eyes echoing through her fire-locked hair. She gazed at the ruffled tunics imposed by Teek's firm grasp. She smiled her familiar lovely smile toward her lover, only to brandish a silver-tipped blaster barrel onto his forehead from underneath her tunics.

"Rité, what are you doing?" Teek muttered in fear, his arms raised in surrender, staring cross-eyed at the blaster in his face.

Sidious' visage formed a smirking grin as he motioned in front of his desk. Teek responded and shoved Rité's forearm away, knocking the blaster out of her hand. A kick planted into his thigh from her sending him back a few feet.

"Sithspawn!" Teek muttered. Sidious' face scowled in contempt of the word.

Quickly rising into a fighting position, he proceeded to land a punching blow into her face marking her with a purple bruise. She returned with a lunge, knocking the pair into a plush, crimson sofa above the circular indentation of the office. Mounted on top, legs straddling his chest, she proceeded with a pair of quick punches into his face. He returned the favor by throwing her onto the floor as her body spiraled into the indentation.

She rose onto all fours, spitting a drop of blood from her lip. Eyes furious with anger, Rité stared towards her former lover with a dark side fury that seared into his soul. Sidious cackled with a hopeful glee. One of these two will prove victorious. Either candidate will prove their loyalty by killing the one they love, ensuring their loyalty is to the New Order. Sidious reveled in pitting enemies against one another ensuring a survival of the fittest of which he would use and exploit to his advantage and this battle was no exception.

Teek arose from the couch, panting in anticipation of what Rité would do. He rushed toward the DC-15 lying on the floor as Rité grasped for her own blaster on the precipice beside her. Cerulean blaster fire turned Teek's heel into meaty splinters. Grasping his foot, he stumbled onto the floor, writhing with his pain. Rité now had the upper hand.

She strode over toward his body, aching from his wound. She waved a lock of matted, red hair away from her bruised face, returning her left hand to place onto her hip, the blaster extended from her right arm aimed at Teek's forehead.

Crackled static of blaster-torn flesh sizzled through Teek's thoughts. Pulsating and pounding his thoughts, consuming his mind like a fiery wash of pain and heat. The soft lips of Rite's chilled his nerves upon his own cold, purple flesh. The soft echoes of _I love you_ signified the painful loss. Azure light permeated his eyes in a blinding flash of brilliance masking the beauty he saw from Rité's features.

Her laughter, her grace, her beauty rewound into his thoughts awash in a bloody memory. The spunky red-headed little girl that mocked and teased him as a child grew to become a woman of intelligence and beauty. All of that was a faded, distant memory now. Rité's radiance glowed and etched into his thoughts as the cold darkness consumed him closing her out forever.

Rité's blaster barrel continued to release the acrid smoke of burnt energy as Sidious strode over towards her, placing an aging hand upon her bruised right shoulder.

"You have done well, Rité Jaderrie, your loyalty to the New Order has been proven." His icy voice echoed across Rité's mind as she grasped to conclude her actions. Her training on Naboo was done in secret by Darth Sidious in the ways of the Force. He taught her enough to assist in her services to his New Order which would soon be enacted.

"In time, Rité, the glorious New Order will arise, and the Sith will rule once again." Sidious proceeded towards his desk, placing his hands upon his armrests. A pair of crimson guardsmen entered the room, grabbing the feet and hands of Teek's lifeless carcass, the gaping hole upon his forehead remained to smoke.

"Lift your sleeve on your left forearm," Sidious continued, "You shall receive the mark of the Hand, branding you forever to the Empire."

Rité performed as commanded, bowing in front of Sidious' desk. Sidious raised his right hand, pointing his index finger toward the pastel canvas of which he was to mark. A single bolt of Force-lightning shot from his tip, Rité winced under the intense heat as a new tattoo formed on her skin, the eight-spoke symbol of the New Order. The aroma of cauterized flesh permeated her nose as soon as the tattoo mark started, the searing, purple hued trace smoked with completion.

"You will be assigned the _Millennium Falcon_ as your personal ship, and to alleviate suspicions about your origins from Naboo, I will assign you a code name that only you and I will know. Ritara Jade, your fulfillment to the New Order is complete you will henceforth become a Hand of the New Order. All orders from here forward will be done in secret, telepathically. Your loyalty above others will be to me. It is a shame, however, that your services will be impeded in the next few months. Your physical condition must be kept secret, what good is an assassin if she is abated by the growth of life inside her?"

Sidious smiled. Ritara's unborn child will be to his advantage, training a newborn in the ways of the Force, to become a protégé to its own mother; a successive line of Hands of which to do his bidding. He motioned her to excuse herself from the room. Soon, the Republic would be wiped out, and a glorious Sith empire would replace it. The pieces were falling into play and Anakin Skywalker would soon become his new apprentice as he had foreseen.

Ritara exited his offices her matted tunics reflected that of her face and body. She coaxed her stomach, sensing the life growing inside of her. A wellspring of Force potential erupted inside as she detected the individual cells inside the zygote forming and responding to the midichlorians. A bruised, bloody smile formed across her lips, swaggering through the hallway leading from Palpatine's offices.

From the corner of her eye, she glanced toward a golden protocol droid staring at her with curiosity; a companion squatted next to him in the form of a blue-trimmed astromech much like her own. She sneered in the direction of See-Threepio, who returned with a distracted, surprised jerking motion as he continued with his squat companion.

Outside upon the landing bay, Ric Olié hunched over the destroyed astromech that once belonged to Rité. Combing through the wreckage, salvaging what he could to provide evidence back to Sio Bibble that Rité was not the woman they claimed she was.

"Keep away from that droid," Ritara shouted, interrupting Ric's thoughts. Her accompaniment had been two red-trimmed Homeworld Security clones.

"Rité, what happened?" He asked, noticing her tattered face and hair, "Are you alright? Where's Teek?"

"That's not important now. What is that you remove yourself from that droid, old man!"

"Excuse me?"

"You heard me, Captain Olié. Hand that droid back to its rightful owner!"

Ritara waved her hand to influence Olié via the Force.

"Very well, Rité, the droid is yours."

Ritara scurried towards the hulking shell of her former companion, rummaging inside his dome. She activated the hover platform to rise and pushed the platform into the docking bay further. Ritara stopped partway as her clones arrested Ric Olié under treasonous suspicions. Her fulfillment towards the New Order was in infancy, yet she began to sow the work from her deeds.

Ritara reflected back upon her life, wind whipping at her, magnified by the open nature of the docking bay. The tragic accident that claimed the lives of her parents during the Trade Federation takeover left her an orphan at the age of six. Years later in the Naboo Academy, she was visited by a mysterious stranger who never offered her his name, only to train in the ways of the Force. After that visit, a law passed by decree of the Chancellor to avert possible corruption of the Jedi Council, no Naboo could be trained in the ways of the Jedi during his tenure; this, she found out later, was to provide a pool of Force-adepts that Sidious could work and manipulate for his own desires free from the power-hungry Jedi.

She knew she wasn't the only one; there were others like her as evidenced by the number of Force-sensitives she felt in Academy. In time, they would seek her for their jobs to serve the new Empire as either replacements or trainees. She had to prepare for the inevitable. Ritara continued her way towards the doorway leading into the grander Senate building. Her missions were about to begin.


	13. Chapter 13

Months had passed as young Ritara continued her Force training and the ways of the New Order under Sidious' tutelage. Her master had begun to focus his intent on the young Jedi Anakin Skywalker coaxing him with information that only he would be privy to, it was not her intent. Her early missions involved a few rogue Separatist underlings to goad into continuing the fledgling Clone Wars after their devastating defeat on Coruscant while General Grievous counseled the primary leaders on Utapau.

It was during a crisp dusk while making repairs to the Millennium Falcon's hyperdrive that a single LAAT landed upon docking bay three-twenty-four of the Senate offices. Ritara knew to keep her attentions away from the four Jedi Masters whose intention to arrest her master she felt in the Force. The Haruun Kal Jedi, Mace Windu followed by the Nautolan Kit Fisto, a Zabrakian Agen Kolar and Iktochi Saesee Tiin disembarked from the LAAT, unaware of the Force-sensitive in their midst. Moments later, she felt a sudden pulse in the Force, as if the fury of a thousand Jedi Masters echoed across the Senate halls in Palpatine's offices.

Her mind filled with a sense of accomplishment as the lesser Jedi Masters were snuffed from existence in a matter of minutes. She felt her Master sparring with Mace Windu for what seemed like hours, during which, the rush of midichlorians in her body foretold of Anakin Skywalker landing on a docking bay above her, then suddenly, the lives of Jedi were erased. A brooding sense of victory flushed into her body as she ceased her repairs to focus on the telepathic resonances of her Master assigning his Executor, Darth Vader.

Vader would only become the muscle behind the new Empire, assigned to more militaristic tasks while her goals would require a more covert approach. During the rise of the Empire after the execution of Order Sixty-Six, her missions were focused on the rising Rebellion that formed in the Senate; convincing Senators or otherwise removing their bodies in a cover-up of accidental motives. Darth Vader was assigned to the more influential tasks of hunting Jedi that escaped the clone revolution, of which she was not qualified.

One such mission placed of high level importance that the founder of the Alliance to Restore the Republic was discovered to be Senator Bail Organa of Alderaan; one of whom that Palpatine had suspected shortly before he became Emperor. Upon further investigation Ritara discovered that her own senator from Naboo, Padmé Amidala had also founded this alliance. Her mission had been to assassinate Organa and the top leaders of the Alliance including Mon Mothma.

Corellian Senator, Garm Bel Iblis discovered that the Millennium Falcon, assigned as a gift from his planet to Naboo had never returned to the custody of the Royal Family. Suspecting theft and the sightings of a similar ship used around other mysterious disappearances, Bel Iblis suspected the pilot had been responsible. Fabricating evidence to clear the Alliance, Ritara had been duped by her own mission into a paper trail of forged documents and alibis of which her own Master had never suspected in his arrogance.

As the months passed further, Ritara had become noticeably hampered. Fearing detection, Emperor Palpatine assigned her to his home on Naboo to deliver her child; a child with the potential to become her successor. Within the medical confines assigned by the finest of Imperial doctors, Ritara Jade gave birth to a healthy daughter. Adopting her second half of her codename as her surname, she named her daughter Mara Jade. The child bore many striking resemblances to her physicality including her emerald eyes and fire-shorn hair. During a furlough of a standard year, Ritara grew to love her own child, replacing her love for the Empire as a need to raise her daughter apart from her teachings.

Palpatine feared this decision. Under the cover of night, Ritara fled with her child toward Theed similar to her fashion she made over a year ago with Teek. This time, Palpatine did not plant this as a ruse. Palpatine assigned Darth Vader to the task of eliminating the rogue assassin, sensing potential Force-abilities with the offspring, she was to be spared. News of Vader's arrival on Naboo triggered fear amongst the Senate. Rumors spread of Naboo's allegiance towards the Empire when the menacing hulk of metal and man presided onto Naboo.

The once powerful Jedi, who betrothed the former Queen reflected upon his time as Anakin Skywalker. This was the home to the woman that he lost, the woman he loved, the woman he sold his soul for. There was no time for recollection; he had a mission to complete. Vader's _Theta_-class shuttle came under the dead of night, the cold blackness as pitch as his armor. Thousands of distant stars fluttered on this moonlit night paled by both of Naboo's moons.

No stormtroopers accompanied him, for this was Vader's assignment alone. The Emperor had entrusted Ritara with the loyal devotion to her Empire, but she has now betrayed her liege into hiding. Her ignorance must be met, and his Executor was assigned with this simple task. Mechanical breathing formed a sense of ominous prelusion piercing the crisp autumn air of this Naboo night. Stretching from Vader's sinister mask, his breaths formed sinister ripples amongst the stillness.

Feeling his way using the Force, Ritara was not difficult to find. His cold, raven boots clamored upon the stone walkways towards the small hovel that Ritara had secluded inside for the past few months. Startled from her slumber, she awoke in her nightgown flowing to her ankles of cerulean seas whipping during her flight towards young Mara's bedroom. She felt Vader's presence in the Force knowing the Executor was near. Mara Jade, barely reaching a year of age stretched her swaddling-clothed arms from her crib toward her mother. Before she could reach the toddler, the sound of a thousand wooden splinters shattered into the hovel from the metallic boot of the machine.

A cold, calculating killer efficient in the manners of the dark side, trained in his youth by a Jedi Master clamored upon her abode. His murders were unremorseful and had rumored to have slaughtered Jedi younglings upon his turn to the dark side. Rumors be true, Ritara would defend her daughter's life to her death. Ritara gazed into the unwavering, raven eye sockets of Vader's death mask. The menacing rasps scared her toddler into a loud wail as a lightsaber blade of crimson erupted to Vader's side.

Ritara withdrew her child from her arms, back into the crib. Her icy stare gazed beyond her fiery hair in a futile attempt to persuade Vader using the Force. Vader was unflinching; the ripples in the Force she threw at him caused a glimmer of laughter inside his charred heart.

Vader would allow her to try, hoping that her skills would succumb and her death would become less painful to her. Vader only had to murder her, taking her child towards the Emperor's tutelage as commanded. That is the way of the Empire, the way of the Hands of the New Order. Death is the ultimate loyalty where even in death; Ritara Jade would prove loyalty or be sacrificed for the cause.

Ritara turned towards her child to cover her sight from the horrifying visage who stood before her. She looked at her lovely child who shared the same physical features; a tear strode down her soft, pale cheeks. A final moment, a tender moment, the Empire was forever.

_Crimson-colored light punctured Rité's backside, exiting through her stomach. A stunned shock echoed upon her face, her eyes filled with a single tear. The odor of scarred, cauterized flesh emanated as the acrid air of war. The light blade retracts from Rité's lifeless body slumping onto the ground. A single tear plops onto her face from another soul as the humming reverberations from the lightsaber pounded as it were the drums of death._

History, the past, flowed through the Force as she touched upon the spirit of her lost lover. The lover she sacrificed in the name of loyalty, young Mara's father. A thought from Teek's life flushed into her mind as she heard his distant echoes calling for her through the Force. Teek appeared before her face, holding her one last time in his arms as she lay dying from the crackling hum of Vader's Sith blade.

"MOOOOOOMMMMAAAAAAAAAAAA!" Mara Jade wailed as Vader's hulk disengaged his lightsaber, the words penetrating Anakin's soul.

Anakin Skywalker, the Chosen One doomed to a life of servitude from birth gazed toward Mara Jade interrupted by crimson-hued optics.

_Anakin, you're breaking my heart! _

Padmé's voice punctured the icy, darkened heart of Vader's remaining soul as young Mara ended her wail cooing at the raven hulk before her. Anakin Skywalker cocked his helmeted head as he reached toward her with one, raven-gloved finger. Her small arms reached back toward his finger, grasping it as her tears and mucus began to dry.

_Annie, I want to have our baby back home on Naboo…_

Anakin Skywalker reveled in being a father so much so that he forfeited his life towards the cause of the Sith in order to save his family from harm. The toddler before him reflected in his soul the laughter and playfulness that he shared with Padmé the moment after their first kiss, rolling in the hills next to her Lake Country retreat. The child he never knew, the child that was forbidden by the Jedi Code would have shared these memories.

Padmé was no more, his child he never knew died with her. His presence on Naboo stabbed at his heart in the manner in which he killed Ritara Jade. Cold, ruthless, unnerving; his breathing rasped from a dark void. Anakin Skywalker and all remnants were dead as Rité Jaderrie.

Darth Vader, Dark Lord of the Sith and loyal servant of the Galactic Empire clasped the young Mara Jade into his arms. He carried Mara Jade into his arms as being the father he never was into the awaiting landing ramp of his shuttle perched in Theed Square. Mara Jade was property of the Empire, a child by decree that born on Naboo would be trained by Darth Sidious as was the case with her mother. Engines whined, lifting Vader's shuttle from the stone courtyard towards the night. The icy blackness consumed the shuttle as it left Naboo's atmosphere towards the awaiting _Victory_-class Star Destroyer, _Gallant_ in orbit above the planet.

The wedge-shaped hull rotated away from the green, blue orb of Naboo. The glowing azure engines fired at maximum velocity as the craft entered hyperspace towards the Core. Vader's assignment was finished. Ritara, the defective operative was slain and her daughter, a Force-sensitive would become the Emperor's new servant. Mara Jade: loyal to the Emperor, trained from a toddler's age in the ways of the Force and devotion; a devotion that would become difficult to break.

Even Vader could not foresee the fate that Mara Jade would hold for the Empire or for his own lineage. Mara's future held keys to Vader's own past, a past that the son he would later discover would unravel. The Force would bind the two beings together in its own right. For now, however, the dark side permeated the galaxy, a galaxy controlled by the Master of both; Darth Sidious.


End file.
